Lieutenant Omar Locklear, famous as a "stunt" aviator, and his aid, Lieutenant Milton Elliot, were killed at Los Angeles on the night of August 3, when after "stunts" for a motion picture film, in which Locklear was being starred, their aeroplane, in flames, crashed to the ground.
The tragedy came as a finale to the motion picture, "The Skyway-man," which was being made by the William Fox Studios. The last scene of the scenario, for which Locklear had suggested many hair raising "stunts," called for the "Skywayman" "plunging to his death, his machine in flames. Locklear, with Elliott, left the earth about 10 o'clock and in 15 minutes he dropped the coloured lights which told the waiting carara men on the ground that he was ready for them to start "shooting" the last scene.
Locklear dropped a rocket and went into a tail spin after it. It was a magnificent exhibition of skill. according to the spectators on the ground, but their admirotion for his skill was turned into horror when they saw the plane 200 ft. from the earth attempt to right itself and then crash down in flames.
Some hurried to the burning wreck while others called the Fi-e Department. but the two airmen were already dead. Elliott, who wore a leather coat, was not burn-about the unner part of the body. bet Locklear, who wore tweed suit, was burned beyond recognition.
A Maxer or Tarts.
Locklear, who came to Los Angeles in February, was the originator of many of the thrillers now performed by other fliers. In the "Skywayman" he was filmed changing planes at night with the rid of a searchlight, landing on the roof of a freight train and seizing the plane again as it flew over him, and performing many acrobatic stunts standing on the wing of a plane. He and Elliott were inseparable, and Locklear, it is said. would never attempt any of his "stunts" unless Elliott was piloting the machine.
Two possible causes of the accident are given by the spectators. One is that the pilot was blinded by the five strong searchlights vlaying on the machine as it dived earthward. The other is that the rocket which Locklear released before going into the fatal spin set fire to the plane.
That Locklear had a premonition
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.