 On 26 August 1945 , Crombie was flying a Beaufighter on a test flight . He completed the flight and returned to base . Coming in to land , a problem occurred in one of the engines and he fell short of the runway ; Crombie was killed in the resulting collision . Survived by his wife and one @-@ year @-@ old son , his funeral was attended by all the personnel of No. 5 Operational Training Unit . He was subsequently buried in Sandgate War Cemetery . Fellow No. 5 Operational Training Unit instructor Bud Tingwell later described him as " one of the best pilots in the air force " . 
