Date:	Saturday 2 March 1946
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk VIII
Owner/operator:	3 Sqn RIAF
Registration:	MT739
MSN:	SUP.
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Thoraganadoddy, 15 miles South of Kolar, Karnataka -   India
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RIAF Kohat, Kohat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, British India (Pakistan)
Destination airport:
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
MT739; Spitfire LF. VIII. Built at Supermarine Aircraft at Woolston with Merlin M66 engine. To 6MU RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire 24-8-44. To 215MU RAF Locharbriggs, Dumfries 2-9-44 for packing and crating for shipment overseas. Shipped on the SS 'Alder Park' 7-10-44, arriving India 19-11-44. To 155 Squadron in Burma in December 1944. To 607 (County of Durham) Squadron, RAF in early 1945. 607 Squadron re-equipped with the Spitfire Mk. VIII in March 1944, and flew these in support of XIV Army, including the Imphal and Kohima actions, until disbanding on 19-8-45 at Mingaladon in Burma.

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.

Written off (destroyed) 2-3-46 when caught fire in the air and wrecked in a forced landing and blew up near Thoraganadoddy, approx. 15 miles South of Kolar, Karnataka, India. While flying at an altitude of 5,000 feet, the Spitfire's Merlin engine exploded due to a fractured main oil pipe. The aircraft began to descend, and at 3,800 feet the engine caught fire. The pilot - Pilot Officer G V Francis - decided to remain with the aircraft, and carried out a successful forced landing 15 miles south of Kolat. However, the fire took hold, and Spitfire MT739 was burnt out. The pilot escaped from the burning aircraft, on the ground when it came to a halt, albeit sustaining some burn injuries.

Crew of Spitfire MT739:
Pilot Officer (IND/2925) George Victor Francis, RIAF (pilot) - survived with burn injuries

Struck Off Charge as "destroyed by fire" 14-3-46. Kolar or Kolara is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Kolar district

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.117
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft MA100-MZ999 (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.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=MT739
7. https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/Aircraft/MT739
8. https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/2925
9. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/MT739
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kolar_district

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
11-Jul-2023 18:56	Dr. John Smith	Added
12-Jul-2023 08:29	Nepa	Updated
12-Jul-2023 21:04	Dr. John Smith	Updated
17-Sep-2023 16:40	Dr. John Smith	Updated