Ralph Greenley Johnstone (September 18, 1880 – November 17, 1910) was the first American person to die while piloting an airplane that crashed. He and Archibald Hoxsey were known as the "heavenly twins" for their attempts to break altitude records.

Biography

Johnstone was born on September 18, 1880, in Parsons, Kansas.The birth date of September 18, 1880 comes from his July 21, 1904 and September 19, 1905 applications for a United States passport. His March 6, 1902 passport application uses September 18, 1881. His tombstone uses September 18, 1879. The Centennial of Flight commission erroneously says: "Born 1886, Kansas City, Missouri". Johnstone started as a

vaudeville Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic composition ...

trick bicycle rider who performed a midair forward somersault. He became a Wright exhibition team pilot. On August 17, 1910, he survived a crash at Asbury Park, New Jersey. On October 27, 1910, the International Aviation Tournament was held at the Belmont Park racetrack in

Elmont, New York Elmont is an unincorporated hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in northwestern Hempstead in Nassau County, New York, United States, along its border with the borough of Queens in New York City. The population was 35,265 at the 2 ...

. The meet offered $3,750 for the highest altitude, another $1,000 for a world record and a $5,000 bonus for exceeding 10,000 feet. Johnstone set a new American

flight altitude record This listing of flight altitude records are the records set for the highest aeronautical flights conducted in the atmosphere, set since the age of ballooning. Some, but not all of the records were certified by the non-profit international avia ...

of 8,471 feet. During the flight, a gust of wind forced him to fly backwards, and he landed near Artist Lake in

Middle Island, New York Middle Island is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 10,483 at the 2010 census. It is situated between the hamlets of Coram and Ridge, to the west and e ...

. Johnstone died on November 17, 1910, in

Denver, Colorado Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

, in an air crash. Johnstone's Model B was still fairly new. Surviving photos of the wreckage show the parts/components still gleaming with factory fresh paint. Johnstone had damaged the wing of the plane on a previous landing and superficially repaired the wing. Not properly repaired, the wing collapsed during his next high altitude flight, and Johnstone plunged to his death in full view of the crowd.

Legacy

He was in a crash after he failed to recover from a dive in

Denver Denver () is a consolidated city and county, the capital, and most populous city of the U.S. state of Colorado. Its population was 715,522 at the 2020 census, a 19.22% increase since 2010. It is the 19th-most populous city in the Unit ...

on November 17, 1910. He had two children – a daughter, Ethel Johnstone (born 1905), and a son, Ralph Ernest Johnstone (born 1904), who became a well-known and talented tattoo artist and circus banner painter. A New York State Historic Plaque commemorating the landing at Artist Lake can be found at the lake along

New York State Route 25 New York State Route 25 (NY 25) is an east–west state highway in downstate New York in the United States. The route extends for just over from east midtown Manhattan in New York City to the Cross Sound Ferry terminal at Orient Poin ...

in Middle Island. On the ground Ralph was pals with Hoxsey and rival Curtiss team member

Eugene Ely Eugene Burton Ely (October 21, 1886 – October 19, 1911) was an American aviation pioneer, credited with the first shipboard aircraft take off and landing. Background Ely was born in Williamsburg, Iowa, and raised in Davenport, Iowa. Having c ...

References

External links

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Ralph Johnstone
at

Early Aviators Gallery The Early Birds of Aviation is an organization devoted to the history of early pilots. The organization was started in 1928 and accepted a membership of 598 pioneering aviators. Membership was limited to ...

Ralph Johnstone
at Centennial of Flight {{DEFAULTSORT:Johnstone, Ralph Greenley 1880 births 1910 deaths Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States Wright brothers Vaudeville performers Accidental deaths in Colorado People from Parsons, Kansas Flight altitude record holders Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1910 American aviation record holders

Biography

Legacy

See also

References

External links