Date:	Saturday 26 April 1947
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire FR Mk XIV
Owner/operator:	6 Sqn RIAF
Registration:	RN178
MSN:	6S 663394
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	near Warsula, 4 miles east of Lohardaga, Palamu Division, Jharkhand -   India
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RIAF Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
RN178: Spitfire FR. XIV, MSN 6S-6634394. Built at Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) at Chatis Hill with Griffon G65 engine. To 6MU RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire 4-2-45. To 222MU RAF North Luffenham for packing and crating for overseas shipment 16-2-45. Shipped on the ss 'Defender' 8-3-45, arriving India 6-4-45. To 6 Squadron RIAF Ranchi, Jharkhand, India

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 26-4-47: Engine lost power and aircraft belly-landed near Warsula, 4 miles East of Lohardaga, Palamu Division, Jharkhand, India. While flying on a cross country NAVEX (navigation exercise) at an altitude of 3,000 feet, the Spitfire suffered a partial engine failure, and the pilot found that he could not maintain altitude with the reduced power available. The Spitfire made a 'wheels-up' forced landing near Warsula. However, the cause of the engine failure could not be discovered, as the Spitfire was ransacked by the local population before a recovery crew could arrive at the crash site. By the time the recovery crew arrived, there was very little left of Spitfire RN178!

Crew of RN178
Flight Lieutenant (IND/1874) Madhav Bhawrao Naik, RIAF (pilot aged 23 at the time, and Flight Commander of "B" Flight, 6 Squadron RIAF) - survived uninjured.

The pilot (born 1-11-1923) later rose through the ranks to become an Air Vice Marshall (from 1-8-1971). He Retired on 30-4-1976 and died on 31-12-2002 (at 79 Years age)

Lohardaga is a town and the district headquarters of Lohardaga district in the Indian state of Jharkhand, west of Ranchi, the state capital. Lohardaga is located at 23.43°N 84.68°E. It has an average elevation of 647 metres (2122 feet).

Damage assessed as Cat E 26-4-47. Struck Off Charge 28-8-47

1. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.295
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft PA100-RZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
3. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=RN178
4. https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/Aircraft/RN178
5. https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/1874
6. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/102154-rn178
7. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=RN178
8. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/RN178
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._6_Squadron_IAF#History

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
02-Sep-2023 20:39	Dr. John Smith	Added
03-Sep-2023 19:46	Nepa	Updated