Date:	Tuesday 15 April 1947
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk VIII
Owner/operator:	6 Sqn RIAF
Registration:	MV118
MSN:	EA.
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 0 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	RIAF Agra, Uttar Pradesh -   India
Phase:	Taxi
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:
MV118: Spitfire LF VIII, built by Vickers Armstrongs (Supermarine) at Eastleigh, Southampton, Hampshire with Merlin M66 engine. To 9MU RAF Cosford, Shropshire 27-7-44. To 76MU RAF Wroughton, Wiltshire 12-8-44 for packing and crating for shipment overseas. Shipped on the ss 'Avristan' 13-9-44, arriving India 29-10-44. To 17 Squadron RAF in November 1944. Supermarine Spitfire Mk. VIIIs began to arrive at 17 Squadron in March 1944 and were taken back to the Burma front in November 1944 to fly escort and ground attack missions. In June 1945, No. 17 Squadron upgraded to the Spitfire Mk. XIVe.

To 6 Squadron RIAF on or after June 1945 at RIAF Ranchi, Jharkhand, India

Written off (damaged beyond repair) 15-4-47 in a ground collision accident when ran into by Spitfire MT520 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 MV118:
Flying Officer (IND/2994) Nedyam Bhaskar Menon, RIAF (pilot) - apparently survived with only minor injuries

The incident did no harm to the career of the pilot; he rose through the ranks to become a Wing Commander on 17-9-1965 and thus the commanding officer of 35 Squadron IAF. He resigned his commission on 1-12-1966 when he became a civilian pilot with Air India.

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/p075.html
4. https://allspitfirepilots.org/aircraft/MV118
5. https://www.avialogs.com/spitfire-and-seafire-registry/item/89898-mv118
6. https://www.rafcommands.com/database/serials/details.php?uniq=MV118
7. https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/Aircraft/MV118
8. https://www.bharat-rakshak.com/IAF/Database/2994
9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._17_Squadron_RAF#Second_World_War
10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._6_Squadron_IAF#History
11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agra_Airport#History

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
03-Sep-2023 20:02	Dr. John Smith	Added
04-Sep-2023 08:13	Nepa	Updated