Leighton Wilson Hazelhurst Jr. (July 1887 – June 11, 1912) was a
pioneer aviator who was killed in an
aircrash
An aviation accident is an event during aircraft operation that results serious injury, death, or significant destruction. An aviation incident is any operating event that compromises safety but does not escalate into an aviation accident. Pre ...
with
Al Welsh piloting. Hazelhurst was the third United States Army officer to die in an aviation accident.
The two to die before him were
Thomas Etholen Selfridge and
George Edward Maurice Kelly.
[
]
Biography
He was born in July 1887 in Macon, Georgia
Macon ( ), officially Macon–Bibb County, is a consolidated city-county in Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia, United States. Situated near the Atlantic Seaboard fall line, fall line of the Ocmulgee River, it is southeast of Atlanta and near the ...
to Jessie M. (1865–?) and Leighton Wilson Hazlehurst Sr. (1862–?).1900 US Census
The 1900 United States census, conducted by the Census Office on June 1, 1900, determined the resident population of the United States to be 76,212,168, an increase of 21.01% from the 62,979,766 persons enumerated during the 1890 census. It w ...
in Helena, Arkansas
Helena is the eastern portion of Helena–West Helena, Arkansas, a city in Phillips County, Arkansas, located on the west bank of the Mississippi River. It was founded in 1833 by Nicholas Rightor and is named after the daughter of Sylvanus Phil ...
[ Leighton Jr. was appointed to the ]United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy (USMA), commonly known as West Point, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York that educates cadets for service as Officer_(armed_forces)#United_States, comm ...
at West Point, New York
West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York (state), New York, General George Washington stationed his headquarters in West Point in the summer and fall of 1779 durin ...
. He was a classmate of Hap Arnold's. He was an appointee from Mississippi
Mississippi ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico to the south, Louisiana to the s ...
. He graduated and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the 17th Infantry in 1908.
He was detailed as a student aviator to the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps
The Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps, Appendix 2 (1907–1914) was the first heavier-than-air military aviation organization in history and the progenitor of the United States Air Force. A component of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, the Aeronaut ...
on March 1, 1912, and reported to the Aviation School in its temporary winter quarters at Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a city on the central eastern border of the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia. The city lies directly across the Savannah River from North Augusta, South Carolina at the head of its navigable portion. Augusta, the third mos ...
, where he began instruction with Lt. Thomas DeWitt Milling
Thomas DeWitt Milling (July 31, 1887 – November 26, 1960) was a pioneer of military aviation and a brigadier general in the U.S. Army Air Corps. He was the first rated pilot in the history of the United States Air Force.
He received his fli ...
. The school returned to its previous field at College Park, Maryland
College Park is a city in Prince George's County, Maryland, United States, located approximately from the northeast border of Washington, D.C. Its population was 34,740 at the 2020 United States census. It is the home of the University of Mary ...
, on April 1, 1912.
On June 11, 1912, Hazlehurst was a passenger accompanying Al Welsh of the Wright Flying School
The Wright Flying School, also known as the Wright School of Aviation, was operated by the Wright Company from 1910 to 1916 and trained 119 individuals to fly Wright airplanes.
History
Orville Wright began training students on March 19, 1910 ...
as an official observer during an acceptance trial for the Army's first Wright Model C
The Wright Model C "Speed Scout" was an early military aircraft produced in the United States and which first flew in 1912. It was a development of the Model B but was specifically designed to offer the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps a ...
airplane. The plane crashed and both men were killed. He was survived by his wife and an 8-year-old daughter. Although protocol for funerals for officers of his rank called only for the participation of a platoon of infantry, the entire garrison at Fort Myer including all the Army's aviators turned out for the ceremony, while a squadron of the 15th Cavalry and battalion of the 3rd Field Artillery provided the honor escort.
Legacy
Hazlehurst was buried at Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery is the largest cemetery in the United States National Cemetery System, one of two maintained by the United States Army. More than 400,000 people are buried in its 639 acres (259 ha) in Arlington County, Virginia.
...
in Virginia.Burial Detail: Hazlehurst, Leighton W
– ANC Explorer Hazlehurst Field, New York, a major flying training center during World War I, was named for him. The two US Army aviators to die before him were Thomas Etholen Selfridge and George Edward Maurice Kelly.[
]
See also
* List of aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents before 1916
*
References
External links
*
Leighton Wilson Hazelhurst Jr.
at Early Aviators
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 those who piloted a glider, gas balloon ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hazlehurst, Leighton W.
1887 births
1912 deaths
Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1912
Wright brothers