Date:	Saturday 27 April 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk VIII
Owner/operator:	3 Sqn RIAF
Registration:	JG678
MSN:	KEA.5106
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RIAF Kohat, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, British India -   Pakistan
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RIAF Kohat, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, British India (Pakistan)
Destination airport:	RIAF Kohat, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, British India (Pakistan)
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
JG678: Spitfire LF. VIII, MSN KEA.5106. Built by Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) at Keevil, Trowbridge, Wiltshire with Merlin M66 engine. To 9MU RAF Cosford, Shropshire 24-3-44. To 82MU RAF Lichfield, Fradley, Staffordshire 7-4-44 for packing and crating for shipment overseas. Shipped on the SS 'City of Lincoln' 5-5-44, arriving India 9-6-44. To 3 Squadron RIAF: In October 1945, No. 3 Sqn was earmarked for conversion to Spitfires. Squadron Leader Shivadev Singh handed over command to Squadron Leader O P Mehra on 28-12-45. In the last week of January 1946, No. 3 flew its Spitfires to Yelahanka to complete its conversion. Following the conversion, the unit was moved to RAF Kohat. This period was marked by a number of accidents resulting in the loss of two promising officers in Pilot Officers J M Bose and M U Haq.

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 27-4-46: engine seized in flight. The aircraft force landed successfully at RIAF Kohat, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, British India (Pakistan). The aircraft landed with the wheels down and locked, so it would appear that damage to the airframe was minor. The aircraft's accident report card does not state why Spitfire JG678 was written off as "beyond repair". However, in April 1946, 3 Squadron RIAF was re-equipping with the Hawker Tempest II, so this may have been the deciding factor. The pilot was uninjured.

Crew of Spitfire JG678
Flying Officer (IN/2818) Rabindar Singh Randhawa (Pilot) RIAF - survived uninjured

Not repaired, Struck Off Charge 30-5-46 as Cat. E(FA)

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.131
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft JA100-JZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 3 Sqn RIAF ORB for the period 1-6-1945 to 31-7-47: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/45/41: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/D8436167
5. "RAF Write-offs 1946": Air Britain Aeromilitaria 1979 p.99: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1979.pdf
6. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/89287-jg678
7. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/JG678
8. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=JG678
9. https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/Aircraft/JG678
10. https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/2818
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._3_Squadron_IAF#Burma_operations (1945-46)
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chhatrapati_Shivaji_Maharaj_International_Airport#History

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
30-Jun-2023 20:38	Dr. John Smith	Added
01-Jul-2023 07:48	Nepa	Updated
02-Jul-2023 17:54	Dr. John Smith	Updated
16-Sep-2023 12:29	Dr. John Smith	Updated