Date:	Friday 20 June 1947
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk VIII
Owner/operator:	AFS RIAF
Registration:	MV406
MSN:	EA.
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Firozpur, Firozpur District, Punjab -   India
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RIAF Ambala, Ambala Cantt, Haryana, India
Destination airport:	RIAF Ambala, Ambala Cantt, Haryana, India
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
MV406: Spitfire LF. , built by Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) at Eastleigh, Southampton, Hampshire with Merlin M66 engine. To 9MU RAF Cosford, Shropshire 13-8-44. To 82MU RAF Lichfield, Fradley, Staffordshire 27--44 for packing and crating for shipment overseas. Shipped on the 'LS.2019' 2-10-44, arriving India 4-11-44. To 152 Squadron, RAF in India and then Burma until squadron disbanded 10-1-46. On 8-5-46, 136 Squadron RAF was renumbered 152 Squadron while in transit to Bombay, and began flying Spitfires in June 1945 pending the arrival of its Tempests. By early August it had received these, but spares problems led to its being disbanded on 15-1-47

To AFS (Advanced Flying School), RIAF in February 1947 at RIAF Ambala, Ambala Cantt, Haryana, India

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 20-6-47 when ran short of fuel and belly-landed at Firozpur, Firozpur District, Punjab, India (approx. 130 miles south of RIAF Ambala). The pilot became lost during an aerobatic sortie. To compound his problems, the maps fell out of the cockpit while the aircraft was inverted during this sortie. Despite this, the pilot made no calls to ATC (Air Traffic Control) for assistance, nor did he ask over the R/T for a heading back to base at RIAF Ambala. He continued to fly around until the Spitfire ran out of fuel. At which point, the Spitfire's engine stopped due to fuel starvation, making a forced landing in an open space at Firozpur.

Crew of Spitfire MV406
Pilot Officer (IND/3356) Khalid Bin Majid, RIAF (Pilot)

Damage assessed as Cat E 20-6-47. Not repaired, Struck Off Charge 31-7-47

Firozpur, also known as Ferozepur, is a city on the banks of the Sutlej River in Firozpur District, Punjab, India. After the partition of India in 1947, it became a border town on the India–Pakistan border with memorials to soldiers who died fighting for India

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.312
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft MA100-MZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. ORB 152 Sqdn RAF for the period 1-1-1944 to 31-12-1947: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/1026: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2503665
5. "RAF Write offs 1947": Air Britain Aeromilitaria No. 1978: https://air-britain.com/pdfs/aeromilitaria/Aeromilitaria_1978.pdf
6. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p076.html
7. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/MV406
8. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=MV406
9. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/89931-mv406
10. https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/Aircraft/MV406
11. https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/3356
12. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._152_Squadron_RAF#Post-war
13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Firozpur

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
31-Aug-2023 02:31	Dr. John Smith	Added
31-Aug-2023 08:33	Nepa	Updated