Date:	Saturday 14 February 1948
Time:	day
Type:	Supermarine Spitfire LF Mk XVI
Owner/operator:	601 (County of London) Sqn RAF
Registration:	SL671
MSN:	CBAF IX.4697
Fatalities:	Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1
Aircraft damage:	Destroyed
Location:	Marley Common, Camelsdale, near Haslemere, Sussex, England -   United Kingdom
Phase:	En route
Nature:	Military
Departure airport:	RAF Hendon, Colindale, Middlesex
Destination airport:

Narrative:
Spitfire SL671 LF.XVI, MSN CBAF IX.4697. Built at CBAF (Castle Bromwich Aircraft Factory) with Merlin M266 engine. Delivered to 6MU RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire 31-7-45. To 601 (County of London) Squadron, RAF Hendon, Colindale, Middlesex 18-10-46. Cat C. accident 26-7-47; repaired on site and returned to 601 Squadron.

Written off (destroyed) 14-2-48 when crashed at Marley Common, south of Camelsdale, near Haslemere, Sussex.

The pilot took off from RAF North Weald, Essex on a low-level cross-country navigation exercise, but his radio failed shortly after take-off. as a result, he did not receive a general recall message. All the squadrons' aircraft should have been recalled to base due to rapidly deteriorating weather, but SL671 did not get the message. In addition, the pilot ignored his briefing not to fly below 500 feet. Whilst flying into cloud the aircraft struck rising ground on a hillside at Marley Common.

Crew of Spitfire SL671:
Flying Officer (115189) Ivan Kenneth CRAWFORD DFC (pilot) RAF: killed on active service 14-2-48

According to the following combined obituary notices ("Northern Whig" and "Belfast News-Letter" - both dated Monday 16 February 1948):

"OBITUARY - DEEPEST REGRET

CRAWFORD - Flying Officer Ivan Kenneth Crawford, D.F.C., of 601 Co. London Squadron R.A.F., grandson of Lieutenant-Colonel Fred Crawford C.B.E., of Belfast, and John Garvey, D.L., of Ballena, who lost his life (result of an accident) whilst on duty, aged 26 years. Flying Officer Crawford was educated in England and joined the R.A.F. immediately he left school. After he had completed his training, he was stationed for a short time in Limavady. While serving in North Africa he was awarded the D.F.C. Funeral at St. Andrew's Church, White Colne, Essex, on Thursday at 2.30pm."

A small (well hidden) memorial stone dedicated to the pilot can be found on Marley Common at approximate coordinates 51:4.5895 N 0:44.4564W.

1. Halley, James (1999) Broken Wings – Post-War Royal Air Force Accidents Tunbridge Wells: Air-Britain (Historians) Ltd. p.72 ISBN 0-85130-290-4
2. Final Landings: A Summary of RAF Aircraft and Combat Losses 1946-1949 p 375 by Colin Cummings
3. Royal Air Force Aircraft SA100-VZ999 (James J Halley, Air Britain, 1985, p 6)
4. "Northern Whig" and "Belfast News-Letter" - both dated Monday 16 February 1948
5. 601 Sqn RAF ORB for the period 1-1-47 to 31-5-50: National Archives (PRO Kew) File AIR27/2504: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C2505142
6. National Archives (PRO Kew) File AVIA 5/29/W2413: https://discovery.nationalarchives.gov.uk/details/r/C6578259
7. http://ww2talk.com/index.php?threads/post-war-spitfire-pilot-memorial-sussex.52665/
8. https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/120045763
9. http://www.airhistory.org.uk/spitfire/p099.html
10. https://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/1008241
11. https://rauxaf.org/features-roll-of-honour-names-a-to-e/
12. http://sussexhistoryforum.co.uk/index.php?topic=3566.15
13. https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/marley-common
14. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/No._601_Squadron_RAF#Postwar_operations

Other occurrences involving this aircraft

18 October 1948	SL669	501 (County of Gloucester) Sqn RAF	0	RAF Filton, Bristol, Gloucestershire, England		w/o
29 October 1948	SL670	203 AFS RAF	0	Dinworthy, 1.5 mi north-west of Bradworthy, Torridge, Devon, England		w/o

Date/time	Contributor	Updates
10-Feb-2020 19:15	Dr. John Smith	Added
10-Feb-2020 22:18	Iwosh	Updated [Aircraft type, Operator, Operator]
17-Feb-2020 21:56	Dr. John Smith	Updated [Source, Narrative]
20-Aug-2023 09:34	Nepa	Updated [[Source, Narrative]]
25-Aug-2023 14:30	Dr. John Smith	Updated [[[Source, Narrative]]]