Date:	Sunday 19 August 1951
Time:	19:12 LT
Type:	Gloster Meteor T Mk 7
Owner/operator:	41 Sqn RAF
Registration:	WF790
MSN:
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 2 / Occupants: 2
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	East Sutton, 6 miles SE of Maidstone, Kent, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.)
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Biggin Hill, Bromley, Kent
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
Gloster Meteor T.Mk.7 WF790. 41 Squadron, RAF: delivered 26/4/1951. Written off (destroyed) 19/8/1951, when crashed at East Sutton, Kent. While performing aerobatics, the aircraft emerged from a low cloud base of about 900 feet, in a fully inverted attitude. The aircraft then flicked both way (to the left and to the right) before diving into the ground at a very steep angle. It is believed that the Meteor had stalled in cloud at the top of a loop, and the pilot had not ascertained the cloud base before commencing the loop. Both crew were killed

Crew of Meteor WF790:
Sergeant Pilot John BRANTHWAITE, RAF (pilot, aged 27) - killed on active service 19/8/1951, buried at Biggin Hill, Bromley, Kent
Aircraftman 1st Class (AC.1) Robert Peter BANGS (passenger) - killed on active service 19/8/1951, funeral at Enfield Crematorium

According to a genealogy website (see link #5) the death of the pilot was investigated on behalf of the pilot's granddaughter in 2012, quote:

"In October 2012 Pat Bruce of SFHG was researching her family history and asked Tony Popham of the Biggin Hill Heritage Centre for information about a flying accident near RAF Biggin Hill in the early post war period. Her family ancestor was Sergeant Pilot John Branthwaite who was stationed at Biggin Hill and killed in a flying accident at East Sutton Hill on 19th August 1951, aged 27 years. Tony was able to pass on the request to researcher Peter Osborne at Biggin Hill who carried out the research on Pat's behalf.

Peter visited the Public Records Office at Kew and consulted Biggin Hill's Operations Record Book which is held there. Against the date was a rather brief entry which gave few details of the accident. Peter then contacted the RAF Museum at Hendon where a helpful researcher forwarded an extract from the book "Last Take Off: A Record of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950-1953" by Colin Cummings. The following details were given in the book:

"19 August 1951 Gloster Meteor T Mk 7 WF790, 41 Sqn, East Sutton
Pilot Sgt John Branthwaite and Passenger Aircraftsman 1st Class Peter Bangs

Whilst performing aerobatics, the aircraft emerged from cloud at about 900 ft in a fully inverted attitude. It then flicked both ways and dived steeply into the ground. The aircraft had stalled at the top of a loop and the pilot had not ascertained the cloud base before commencing the loop."

Now knowing the identity of the aircraft, the Museum researcher was able to find the accident card which fortunately was reasonably legible. The card details are given below.

"19:12 hrs Local Flying

Whilst performing aerobatics, a/c emerged from cloud in a fully inverted position at about 8000 ft and at low speed, flicked both ways and dived steeply into the ground. Pilot unable to recover from stall at top of loop - did not ascertain actual height of cloud base before commencing to loop a/c below cloud - entered cloud at top of loop with subsequent loss of horizon - possible that passenger may have hung onto control column top of loop so causing the spin.

Aerobatics should not be carried out on a passenger first flight - probable that the passenger froze on to the controls."

The altitude at which the pilot seems to have lost control is at odds with the 900 ft given in the book extract. The accident card is difficult to read in places and it could be 8000 or 9000 ft but it certainly is not 900 ft.

A check with The National Memorial Arboretum record which has data of most post war service deaths, showed Sgt Branthwaite to be buried at Biggin Hill and AC1 Bangs funeral to have been at Enfield Crematorium.

As a last piece of information Pat received a photograph of Sgt John Branthwaite's headstone which did misspell the name but was confirmed as his by the service number. More information may be forthcoming but this enquiry allowed everyone to peel back another piece of post war RAF history relating to Biggin Hill and Pat's family".

The reported crash location of East Sutton is a parish approximately 6 miles south-east of Maidstone in Kent, England, at approximate co-ordinates 51.21583°N 0.61583°E.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.117 ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft WA100-WZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1983)
3. Last Take Off; A Catalogue of RAF Aircraft Losses 1950 to 1953 by Colin Cummings p.170
4. 41 Squadron ORB (Operations Record Book) (Air Ministry Form AM/F.540) for the period 1/1/1951 to 31/12/1955: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/2612/1 at https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8424251
5. http://www.seahamfamilyhistorygroup.org.uk/members-stories
6. Air Yorkshire July 1966: http://s617306976.websitehome.co.uk/AYASMagazines/1966%2007.pdf
7. http://www.ukserials.com/results.php?serial=WF
8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Sutton

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
07-Jun-2008 02:40	JINX	Added
12-May-2015 07:24	Victor III	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Location, Source]
07-Feb-2021 17:58	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Time, Location, Departure airport, Source, Narrative]