It's absolutely real, as far as can be ascertained.
Event was on 13 Sept 1962, photo in the Daily Mirror of 9 October (the photographer, instead of making a quick buck selling it to the tabloids, gave to the BOI first before the photos made it into the public domain). One assumes that the BOI didn't tinker with it, and while the Mirror may have attempted to enhance it within the limitations of the technology of the day, no-one has yet admitted any trickery (unlike the photo of the Victor with 35 bombs leaving the aircraft in a remarkably short release sequence that still appears in books today billed as being 100% genuine...)
(The details of the accident: The pilot, George Aird had just parted company with the aircraft after things went slightly pear-shaped on approach to Hatfield.
He went through the roof of one of the greenhouses in the background, and ended up with a broken leg.
To be terribly spotterish (thanks to Martin Bowman's book on the Lightning), the photographer was a Mr Jim Meads, and he was showing his sons (Paul and Barry if you're interested, which you weren't...) how his camera worked when a rather more interesting photo opportunity than the bloke on the tractor presented itself...)
Edited because I pressed submit instead of preview....
