Volume 14 , Issue 21

100 Years Ago Today - 21 May 1912

In The Washington Times, dated 21 May 1912, had the following front page headlines, Student Aviator Killed At Wright Experiment Field. "It was May 21, 1912, Dayton, Ohio, After having forced the lock on the Wright brothers airplane hangar and, against the advice of a mechanician, attempting his first flight unaided, Fred J. Southard, twenty-eight, a student aviator of Minneapolis, Minn., was instantly killed this morning on the Wright Aviation Field, at Simms station, near here."

Southard was a member of a wealthy family of Minneapolis. He had been a student at the Wright Aviation School for several weeks and had not completed his course of instructions. A few days ago he purchased the machine in which he was killed. His ambition to fly alone caused him to go to the aviation field, eight miles from here, early today, accompanied by a mechanical, F. J. Burns. Southard pried the doors open in order to get out the airplane. Against the advice of the mechanician, Southard stared this engine and undertook to ascend. The accident occurred within six minutes after he first set the engine going. Orvile Wright announced his belief that Southard attempted to rise too swiftly, which stalled his motor.

Minneapolis, Minn., May 21, 1912 -- Fred J. Southard, the student aviator killed at Dayton, was well known in the tea estate field here, having offices in the downtown district. He became interested in aviation eighteen months ago and recently went to Dayton to take instructions from the Wrights. He planned to establish an aviation field in Minnesapolis.   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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