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Meteor NF11 WD778 Was on 24th March 1954, returning from a
cross country navigation flight, when the crew became lost
in dense cloud, having recieved instructions to home in on
RAF Leeming, the crew were making a controlled descent to
head for Leeming when they struck the moor of Dufton Fell,
above Knock Village nr Appleby, both crew were killed in the
crash.
A local gamekeeper Mr Alexander E.Mason of Burthwaite,found
the wreckage quite by chance some five days late, and seeing
that there was nothing to be done for the poor unfortunate
airmen, set off on a six mile walk over rough ground to inform
the Police of the tragedy.
Local Police from Appleby led by Inspector William A.Howe, were
soon on the scene and one of the officers PC Denis Charters
recalled "Wreckage from the jet was scattered over a wide area
of rough moorland,and the two airmen were found ahead of the
cockpit, (which had broke loose of the main fuselage) in soft
peaty ground, and from what I recall the airmen had been thrown
clear of the aircraft, and showed very little signs of injuries"
At an inquiry into the accident, it was stated that the aircraft
was some "50 miles west of the intended track",and somehow they
had flown off course, and had just got back on track when they
ran out of fuel and descended into the hill, both the pilot and
navigator were very experienced, so something went tragically
wrong, one theory being that the R/T was acting up and signals
were not being transmitted or recieved correctly.
Crew: Pilot. P/O JOHN DAVID BRIGGS.
Navigator. F/O DEREK WALKER.
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Meteor WD778 - W.Pennines
