 Wright transitional aircraft in flight | Johnstone was the first to be killed. After attempting anotheraltitude record over Denver's Overlook Park in November, Johnstone puthis plane into Brookins' 'spiral dip' dive, and he never recovered. Theplane plummeted to the ground, and Johnstone was crushed almost beyondrecognition. The exact cause of the crash was never known. Brookins feltsure Johnstone had fallen out of the plane, and others claimed the wingshad collapsed. Barely a month later, on New Years' Eve, 1910, Arch Hoxsey was killedin an almost identical crash. Although the team had lost its starfliers, newer pilots trained by Welsh joined the team and continuedperforming around the country. The last big meet the team participatedin was in Chicago, August 1911. Although several of the pilots werekilled in later crashes, there were no further fatalities while the teamperformed. However, the team was not helping the Wright Company sell asmany airplanes as they had hoped. The Wrights disbanded the team inNovember 1911. |
