Springville Herald | 1930-02-27 | Page 2 | Pilot Escapes as Plane Burns; Mail is all Destroyed

Pilot Escapes As Plane Bums; Mail Is All Destroyed Fred Kelly, Western Air Express Flyer, Is Thrown From Cockpit; Injuries Not Critical; Brought To St. George. ST. GEORGE, Utah, Fob. 24 (UP) Fred Kelly, No. 1 air mail pilot for the Western Air Express, escaped death early today when his plane crashed 12 miles north of here and was destroyed by fire. Kelly was thrown from the cockpit and was injured. He was brought to St. George and placed in a hotel room. He suffered from injuries of the back and from lacerations, but apparently was not critically hurt. Plans were made to bring the pilot to Los Angeles in another plane piloted by Ernie Longbrake, and containing Jim Fulcher, co-pilot, and J. W. Squires of the Las Vegas Age. The maii carried by Kelly No. 1 on the Los Angeles to Salt Lake mail run was destroyed by fire. The mail plane crashed in a sc-i vcre storm which swept parts of Nevada and Utah, ice, was able to "walk away" from The message said that a gunman from the east planned to shoot the former chief executive, and that "Mr. Coolidge is going to make the trip back east in a coffin."