William Billingsley (aviator)
William Devotie Billingsley | |
---|---|
Born | Winona, Mississippi | April 24, 1887
Died | June 20, 1913 Chesapeake Bay | (aged 26)
Place of burial | United States Naval Academy Cemetery |
Allegiance | United States of America |
Service/ | United States Navy |
Years of service | 1905–1913 |
Rank | Ensign |
Biography
Born in Winona, Mississippi, William Billingsley graduated from the Naval Academy in 1909. On December 2, 1912, he reported for duty at the Aviation Camp, Annapolis, Maryland, and was assigned to the Navy-Wright B-2 for instruction.
Billingsley, designated as Naval Aviator No. 9, was the first naval aviator killed in an airplane crash. On June 20, 1913, while piloting the B-2 at 1,600 feet over water near Annapolis, Maryland, he was thrown from the plane and fell to his death. Admiral John Henry Towers, also unseated in the turbulence, was nearly killed in the same accident as he clung to the plane and fell with it into the water.
Namesake
The Clemson-class destroyer USS Billingsley (DD-293) was named in his honor.
See also
Attribution
- This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships.
External links
Media related to William Billingsley (aviator) at Wikimedia Commons
- 1887 births
- 1913 deaths
- Aviators killed in aviation accidents or incidents in the United States
- Burials at the United States Naval Academy Cemetery
- People from Winona, Mississippi
- United States Naval Academy alumni
- United States Naval Aviators
- United States Navy officers
- Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1913