Oct. 27, 1939: Amateur pilot commits first murder in the sky

[Versatile]

He didn't know why he did it he just did it!


On this day, Oct. 27, 1939, amateur pilot Earnest P. “Larry” Pletch shot his flight instructor Carl Bivens in the back of the head in what is believed to be the world’s first fatal hijacking.
Earnest P. “Larry” Pletch

Earnest P. “Larry” Pletch

Pletch, 29, had killed Bivens somewhere over Missouri, landed on farm and hid the body.

He then took to the air the next day to crash the plane, but couldn’t got through with the suicide. He landed the yellow two-seater monoplane in a pasture, and was greeted by a farm children. His overalls were covered in blood. Pletch told them he was hungry and the boys led him to a cafe.


http://dccrimestories.com/oct-27-1939-a ... urder-sky/

[SaxMan]

I'd think the air to air combat in World War I would count as the first killings in the sky.

Even though it wasn't a gun, the first instance of sabotage on a commercial airlines flight and would technically be the first non-wartime murders in the sky was on October 10th, 1933 when a bomb exploded in a United Airlines Boeing 247 NC13304 in flight over Indiana. Three crew and four passengers were killed. There's been lots of theories, from union toughs blowing up the plane as a warning scab pilots to a Chicago Mafia hit, but there was never a conclusive reason why the aircraft was bombed. The case still remains unsolved.

[Chris Brame]

Use this link instead; it has more info and the other one spits out popup ads.
http://www.magbloom.com/wp-content/uplo ... Killer.pdf

[Viper Strike]

Here is a link in a Chicago newspaper;

http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1939 ... k-to-scene