During the morning of 29th February 1952 eight aircraft and pilots of 66 Squadron undertook a formation flying exercise over the skies above Yorkshire. They took off from Linton on Ouse airfield at 09.50hrs. At 11.00hrs the formation were flying over York at around 2300 feet when the formation leader called for the formation to make a turn to starboard. During the turn the No.3 aircraft (Meteor WH342) in the lead section collided with the No.2 (Meteor WE961). The collision removed the tail of WH342 which saw the aircraft immediately go out of control. The pilot was unable to eject and the aircraft dived into the grounds of The Retreat Hospital on the Heslington side of York. Sadly the pilot was killed in the crash. By shear luck no-one on the ground was injured in the accident despite large parts of the aircraft going through the hospital roof. The tail of the aircraft broke off in the air and this landed in the nearby cemetery, a short distance to the west of the hospital. The pilot of Meteor WE961 remained in control and landed safely.

Pilot - F/O John Spiers Paterson RAF (3054087), aged 25. Buried Burntwood Churchyard, Staffordshire.