The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-03-15
LINCOLN BEACHEY, F AMOUS AVIATOR,
 MEETS TRAGIC DEATH
Wings of Aeroplane Col lapse and the Machine Plunges Into San
 Francisco Bay

San Francisco, March 1d.--Lincoin making an exhibition flight at the Pannmn-Pacific exposition today. At m altitude of about 5000 feet Beachey began n sharp descent. The wings of his aeropIane collapsed and the ma- chine plunged into san Francisco hay.
 Beachy was completing his second flight of the day when the accident occurred in view of thousands of spec tators. Having previously electrified the crowd with d senies of aerial somer- saults the airman sought to add an additional thrill with one of his sen sational perpendicular drops.
 The fatal fall was attributed to tho fact that Beachey entrusted his life today for the first time in several years to monoplane.
 On the first flight all went well and the aviator's familiar tricks were in dulged in with the exception of the perpendicular drop. This Beachey had saved for the climax. It proved too much of a strain for the frame of t,se mono plane.
 The machine was at an altitude of about 5000 feet when Beachey shut off his power For several hundred feet it dropped head-on for the earth and then the aviator grasped his control levers to adjust the planes for a grace full descent
 Wings Crumple
 The wings crumpled and the aero plane turning over and over in its fall. plunged into San Francisco bay, mar rowly missing a vessel at the govern ment transport docks.
 Thousands rushed to the nearby wa ter front but with the exception of q few splintered fragments of the aero plane floating on th- surface of the bay no signs of the wracked machine could be seen.
 Launches put out immediately equipped with grappling hooks and a boats crew from the Oregon started in 10 rescue the body which was strapped to the machine. under 10 feet of water.
 The body was recovered shortly after '5 o'clock.
 Hillary Beachey, a brother oI the aviator, witnessed the tragedy from the deck of the United States trans- port Crook. He said he heard q crack ling sound like the breaking of u ship $ mast. He cried out as the monoplane began to plunge toward the bay. It fell only q few feet away from the transport
 That Beachey was alive when ne struck the water and had sustained no. major injury except broken leg was the opin- ion expressed by pr. David F. Stafford autopsy surgeon, who examined the body at the morgue tonight.
 The face, said pr. stafford, was dis colored from choking and strangling, in- dicating that death was due to drowning.
 Cuts on the aviator's hands were taken to indicate that he had made desperate efforts to release himself from the mesh of twisted wires and rods in which he was entangled
 When the machine fell Beacley was protected by the engine. propellers and hood of the monoplane which struck the water first. It was pointed out that if Beachey could have disengaged himself he probably would have managed to keep aflot long enough to be rescued
 Lincoln Beachey was regarded az the most skilfull and daring American avi- ator. He earned this reputation long before the French flyers began to glide through the air upside down. Beachey was in retirement when these facts were heralded and was drawn back by his desire to excell the re- markable flying of the French.
 With an aeroplane of small wing surface he flew upside down. made spirals while head downward and looped the loop.
 Beachey was born in San Francisco in September. 1881, and made his first flight in 1905. at Oakland, Cal, pilot ing dirigible balloon In 1886 he circled the capitol at Washington. He
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