Date:	Wednesday 10 July 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk VIII
Owner/operator:	1 Sqn RIAF
Registration:	MD329
MSN:	CHA.
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Warora, Chandrapur district, Maharashtra, 30 miles South of Nagpur -   India
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RIAF Nagpur, Sonegaon, Nagpur, Maharashtra, India
Destination airport:	RIAF Hakimpet, Hakimpet, Secunderabad Cantonment, Telangana, India
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
MD329: Spitfire LF VIII. Built by Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) at Chattis Hill with Merlin M66 engine. To 9 MU RAF Cosford, Shropshire 6-3-44. To 82MU RAF Lichfield, Fradley, Staffordshire 15-3-44 for packing and crating for overseas shipment. Shipped on the SS 'Benreoch' 29-3-44, arriving India 12-5-44. To 1 Squadron RIAF

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 9-7-46 when crashed in a forced landing near Warora, Maharashtra, 30 miles South of Nagpur (at approx. coordinates 20.43 degrees North, 79.01 degrees East). The squadron was moving to RIAF Hakimpet, Hakimpet, Secunderabad Cantonment, Telangana from RIAF Nagpur, Sonegaon, Nagpur, Maharashtra. Engine failure, belly landed, undershot field, and overturned. The pilot survived, although injured.

Crew of Spitfire MD329
Pilot Officer (IND/3117) Lakshman Mohan Katre, RIAF (pilot, aged 19) - survived with injuries

Damage initially assessed as Cat. E 9-7-46. Not repaired, Struck Off Charge 31-10-46 as Cat. E(FA)

Warora is a city and municipal council in Chandrapur district in the Indian state of Maharashtra

NOTE: Some published sources (e.g. links #2 & #4) mis-state the serial number as "MT329". That is incorrect, that serial was allocated to an Auster AOP. IV.

1. Halley, James (1999). Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents. Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. ISBN 0-85130-290-4.
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.181
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft MA100-MZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 1 Sqn RIAF ORB for the period 1-1-1945 to 30-4-1947: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR 27/17: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2502648
5. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.101: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/89531-md316
7. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/MD329
8. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=MD329
9. https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/Aircraft/MD329
10. http://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/3117
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._1_Squadron_IAF
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hakimpet_Air_Force_Station
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Warora

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
18-Jun-2023 02:30	Dr. John Smith	Added
18-Jun-2023 10:40	Nepa	Updated
15-Sep-2023 11:20	Dr. John Smith	Updated
16-Sep-2023 13:06	Dr. John Smith	Updated