Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-09-18
PLANE CRASH FATAL
TO ruth ALEXANDER
Famous Aviatrix, "a, Dies
Soon After Take-off on
Hop Across Continent.

BY the Associated Press.
SAN DIEGO, Calf, September Ia
Ruth Alexander, 24-year-old San Diego
aviatrix, plunged to death in her air.
plane here today shortly after taking
off on a projected one-stop trans
continental flight to Newark, N. j.
Miss Alexander left Lindbergh Field
at 1928 am. Pacific standard time)
and few but four miles, when death
stopped her undertaking. With a ter
rife crash her light iow-wing 7n0noplane
plowed into a hill four miles north Of
the field. Her broken body was found
in the wreckage. Parts of the plane
we're strewn for several hundred feet.
Propeller Is Missing.
A wing of the plane was found about
800 feet from where the body of the
ayiatrix and the motor and the other
wing lay.
The motor was torn completely away
from other parts of the plane. Nc
trace of the stick" or propeller could
be found.
The motor plowed into the gWWpd
making large hole The fuselaa Vas
folded into a small bundle. Several
braces and struts were wrapped around
Miss Alexander's body.
An explosion in the gasoline tank
was considered as a possible cause OF
the crash.
Started at Aqua CaIiente.
Miss Alexander's fight officially be-
gan at Aqua Caliente, Mexico, shortly
after ! am. She landed her plane,
christened the Aqua Caliente, at Lind
bergh Field for checking.
A low fog swept in from the sea, but
the aviatrix was thought to have hurdled
it shortly after her eastward take-off
having gained an altitude of 500 feet.
How she happened TO be flying close to
the ground later was not determined.
The aviatrix had planned to stop only
at Wichita, Kans., which she had ex-
pected to reach at o'clock Central
standard time) tonight.
Miss Alexander was born at irving,
Kans., in 1906 1t was there in 1919
when she first rode a plane as a pas
senger with an itinerant flyer, that she
| decided to become an aviatrix,
Worked for Flying Lessons.
In 1928 she came to California, earn
ing her way to San Diego by driving a
car for some tourists. She began carry
/ ing out her ambition TO fly by working
and saving money for instruction. She
worked in a beauty shop for a while
and also as a waitress. She enrolled
! for an aviation course and quickly
showed aptitude
On November II last year, although
she had less than 20 hours training and
instruction, Miss Alexander passed the
rigid tests prescribed by the Federation
Aeronautique Internationale and duali-
! fed to try for any aviation record
! recognized by that organization.
! The next day she went aloft in a
| light plane, scared to a height OF
1 approximately $4,000 feet and estab-
| lished world record for women flyers
| in planes of less than 100 horsepower.
| Less than three weeks ago Miss Alex
ander added another feat to her
/ achievements by making a NONSTOP
| flight from Vancouver, British Column
! bia, to Aqua Caliente in 16 hours.
| Before she took off from Lindbergf
! Field Miss Alexander jokingly told re-
/ porteTs that if she cracked up to "senC
! me purple pansies-I like them best"
The San Diego Chamber of Commerce,
| had provided Miss Alexander with let
tiers to Chambers of Commerce of cite
| where she expected to stop on the re
! turn trip. These included Baltimore
! Washington, Pittsburgh. Cleveland
! Chicago, Detroit, Montreal and othe
/ cities. Eastbound the aviatrix was t,
be met by her parents at Wichita.