Date:	Tuesday 15 April 1947
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk VIII
Owner/operator:	6 Sqn RIAF
Registration:	MT520
MSN:	EA.5125
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RIAF Agra, Uttar Pradesh -   India
Phase:	Landing
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RIAF Ranchi, Jharkhand, India
Destination airport:	RIAF Agra, Uttar Pradesh, India
Confidence Rating:	Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources

Narrative:
MT520: Spitfire LF VIII, MSN EA,5125. Built by Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) at Eastleigh, Southampton, Hampshire with Merlin M66 engine. To 9MU RAF Cosford, Shropshire 21-4-44. To 215MU RAF Locharbriggs, Dumfries 5-5-44 for packing and crating for shipment overseas. Shipped on the ss 'City of Agra' 30-5-44, arriving India 4-7-44. To 6 Squadron RIAF

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 15-4-47 in a ground collision accident when ran into Spitfire MV118 on landing at RIAF Agra, Uttar Pradesh. The pilot of Spitfire MT520 ignored instructions by ATC (Air Traffic Control) to land separately from the other aircraft in the formation. Instead. the pilot of Spitfire MT520 landed his aircraft at too high a speed and was unable to stop in time to prevent a high-speed collision with the aircraft that had just landed ahead of him (Spitfire MV118) when that Spitfire turned across the runway at the end of his landing run. Both aircraft were at the end of a ferry/positioning flight from RIAF Ranchi, Jharkhand, India

Crew of Spitfire MT520:
Flight Lieutenant (IND/3062) John Lazarus Payne RIAF (pilot, aged 29 at the time) - apparently survived with only minor injuries

The incident did no harm to the career of the pilot (born 13-8-1918); he was promoted to the rank of Flight Lieutenant with 3 Squadron IAF on 1-10-1950 and served for another two years until resigning his commission on completion of his tenure on 11-1-1952

Damage assessed as Cat E 15-4-47. Not repaired, Struck Off Charge 26-6-47

The station was opened during World War II as Royal Air Force Station Agra and had a number of flying units located there. It was closed after the war (by/in September 1945) and transferred to the Royal Indian Air Force, who immediately re-opened it. The prefix Royal was later dropped and the station was later renamed Air Force Station Agra on 15-8-47

1. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946 to 1949 by Colin Cummings p.291
2. Royal Air Force Aircraft MA100-MZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain)
3. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p073.html
4. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/MT520
5. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/89566-mt520
6. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=MT520
7. https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/Aircraft/MT520
8. https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/3062
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._6_Squadron_IAF#History
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agra_Airport#History

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-Sep-2023 19:43	Dr. John Smith	Added
03-Sep-2023 19:52	Nepa	Updated
03-Sep-2023 20:01	Dr. John Smith	Updated
04-Sep-2023 08:13	Nepa	Updated