The 1919 July 4th Airshow in Salida, Colorado featured a spectacular crash by pilot Harry B. Crewdson. The Salida Mail reported: 'Eight thousand people shuddered with horror when Harry B. Crewdson, descending with his biplane from a thrilling flight on July 4, crashed to earth, the machine a crunching, splintered wreck buried beneath a cloud of dust.' Crewdson flew 'to within 1,000 feet off the ground, swept over the fairgrounds in a large circle and was preparing to ascend again when his engine stopped. He signaled to his mechanics that he was having trouble and would have to descend. He swept again over the track and decided to land outside the grounds but the engine took hold again and he soared over to the aviation field. His engine was working again as he neared the earth and he intended to come within a few feet of the ground, elevate the nose of the plane and ascend to a great height to complete the stunts. At that moment, his engine commenced missing and his elevator refused to work. He saw that he must descend and he looked for a favorable place, while he unstrapped himself from the machine to prepare for an accident. The wheels of the plane touched the ground, the right wing tilted to one side and swept the ground, wheeling the plane round until it faced in the opposite direction, while the nose of the engine plowed into the earth. The propeller blades snapped like matches and the plane crashed about him like a falling building.'
This image is from the Bob Pierce Collection.
