Meteor F.4 VT148 near Lindholme airfield.

On 23rd June 1949 a party of 257 Squadron Meteors moved from Horsham St.Faith to Finningley to be based there while a large scale training exercise with other aircraft took place. The exercise would begin on 25th June 1949 and was known as "Operational Foil". The exercise was a huge one and newspapers stated that around five hundred aircraft took part in total. On 28th June 1949 the 257 Squadron Meteors undertook interception of three USAF Boeing B-29 Superfortresses. While returning from the B-29 interception and while flying in formation in cloud two of the Meteors collided over the Finningley area when one pilot attempted to change his place in the formation. The tail section of Meteor VT148 broke off causing the aircraft to go into a spin. Fortunately the pilot had time to bale out and he landed safely. VT148 crashed onto Hatfield Moors and was destroyed. VT148 collided with 257 Squadron Meteor VW783, the pilot of this aircraft (F/Lt A H Turner) appears to have lost control and also baled out. VW783 went on to crash in the Serlby Park area just outside Yorkshire. Depending on where VT148 crashed then this may also be just outside Yorkshire. This was before the ejection seat was used and pilots had debated whether baling out of a Meteor F.4 and surviving was possible.

Pilot - W/O Leonard Harold Levene RAF (1895316).