Date:	Friday 20 May 1955
Time:
Type:	Gloster Meteor NF Mk 11
Owner/operator:	29 Sqn RAF
Registration:	WD605
MSN:	AW.5249
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	English Channel, 16 miles SSW of Selsey Bill, Sussex, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Tangmere, Chichester, West Sussex
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor NF.Mk.11 WD605: Delivered 30/8/51. RAF service career was with 29 Squadron only

Written off (destroyed) 20/5/55: The crew was engaged in an air-to-air firing exercise, and after receiving clearance to attack the banner target, a normal "starboard quarter attack" was made. The aircraft was seen to then break away from the attack, go out of control and dive into the sea. The actual cause of the crash was never discovered, and the two crew on board were killed

Crew of Meteor WD605:
Flight Lieutenant John Carey COTTAM MBE RAF (pilot, Service Number 58985, aged 28)
Flying Officer David William Lovell RAF (navigator, aged 22)

The pilot had been awarded the MBE (Member of the British Empire) in the 1953 Coronation Honours List

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.171 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983 p 26)
3. Category Five; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1954 to 2009 by Colin Cummings p.109
4. National Archives (PRO Kew) 29 Squadron RAF ORB (Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) 1/1/51 to 31/12/55: File AIR 27/2606/1 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8423915
5. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WD
6. http://veterans.mod.uk/certificate-hi-res.php?SerialNo=R3910
7. http://veterans.mod.uk/roll-of-honour.php?SerialNo=R3909 (Lovell)

Flying Officer Lovell is buried in the churchyard of St. Andrew's Church, Tangmere. Inside the church is a memorial to Flight Lieutenant Cottam from his family. This can be seen at https://www.iwm.org.uk/memorials/item/memorial/76381.

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-Jun-2008 01:21	JINX	Added
13-May-2015 08:31	Boile A.	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator]
20-May-2020 19:59	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Cn, Phase, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]
22-May-2020 16:33	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Narrative]
27-Sep-2020 13:43	Anon.	Updated [Source]
23-Jul-2021 20:59	Anon.	Updated [Time, Location, Operator]