Date:	Saturday 5 July 1947
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk VIII
Owner/operator:	AFS RIAF
Registration:	JG378
MSN:	CHA.4949
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RIAF Ambala, Ambala Cantt, Haryana -   India
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RIAF Ambala, Ambala Cantt, Haryana, India
Destination airport:	RIAF Ambala, Haryana, India
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
JG378: Spitfire LF VIII, MSN CHA.4949. Built by Vickers Armstrong (Supermarine) at Chattis Hill, with Merlin M66 engine. First Flown at Chattis Hill 20-10-43. To 9MU RAF Cosford 24-10-43. To 82MU RAF Lichfield, Fredley, Staffordshire 14-11-43 for crating and packing for shipment overseas. Shipped on the SS 'Leerdam' 13-12-43, arriving India 26-1-44. To 136 Squadron, RAF. In January 1944, 136 Squadron's Spitfire Mk.Vs and were replaced with Spitfire Mk. VIIIs. In July the squadron moved to Ceylon, flying from Ratmalana and later from Minneriya. At the end of March 1945, the Squadron ground echelon had left for the Cocos Islands and the squadron's aircraft began flying upon completion of the airstrip there a month later. After the Japanese surrender (VJ Day in September 1945) 136 squadron re-located to RAF Tengah, Singapore in October 1945 and, from there, went on to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in November 1945, where they received Spitfire Mk. XIVs

To 132 Squadron RAF in November 1945, which was then based at RAF Kai Tak, Hong Kong, and was disbanded there on 15-4-46.

To AFS (Advanced Flying School), RIAF, in May 1946 at RIAF Ambala, Ambala Cantt, Haryana, India

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 5-8-47 in a landing accident at RIAF Ambala, Ambala Cantt, Haryana, India. The aircraft landed at RIAF Ambala with the undercarriage lowered but not fully 'down and locked', due to the pilot not adhering correctly to the pre-landing cockpit drills. ATC (Air Traffic Control) attempted to warn the pilot that the undercarriage was not fully 'down and locked' by firing VEREY (flare) cartridges. However, they were unable to do so, as none of the flare cartridges worked, as it was only at this time that ATC discovered that they had been issued with a defective batch of VEREY flare cartridges!

Crew of Spitfire JG378
Pilot Officer (IND/3357) Romesh Chandra Malani (Pilot) - survived uninjured

The pilot was commissioned on 1-12-46, promoted to Pilot Officer on 1-6-47, promoted (again) to Flight Lieutenant on 1-6-51, but was killed on 16-5-55 in the crash of a C-47 Dakota UK5501 at Kargil (a city in Indian-administered Ladakh in the Kashmir region of India). One of two fatalities, the other being the Navigator, Pilot Officer C.L. Dsouza.

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 JA100-JZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
4. 136 Sqn RAF ORB for the period 1-1-1944 to 30-4-1946: National Archives (PRO Kew) File Air 27/953: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2503592
5. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/89126-jg378
6. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=JG378
7. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/JG378
8. https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/Aircraft/JG378
9. https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/3357
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._136_Squadron_RAF#India_and_Burma
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._132_Squadron_RAF#Reformation_in_World_War_II

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
30-Aug-2023 00:53	Dr. John Smith	Added
30-Aug-2023 07:44	Nepa	Updated