A suicidal man, who asked for a ride in an open-cockpit biplane for his 88th birthday, jumped to his death Monday near San Diego. Joseph Harold Frost, who was recently diagnosed with a brain tumor, got out of the Stearman despite the best efforts of pilot Willis Allen to restrain him. The elderly passenger removed his safety belt and stood up in the seat in front of Allen, who tried to wrestle him back to safety. Allen also pitched the plane up to try and force Frost back in his seat. They were about 300 to 400 feet above the ground, on approach to Gillespie Field, when Frost managed to jump. “I think that was Dad’s idea, to go out in a flash of glory,” his son, Robert Frost, told CNN. Frost had apparently flown Stearmans during World War II and asked his son to help arrange the flight as a birthday gift. The elder Frost’s body was severed by power lines before landing on an apartment patio, to the horror of witnesses on the ground.
Suicidal Man Jumps From Stearman
Key Takeaways:
- An 88-year-old man, recently diagnosed with a brain tumor, committed suicide by jumping from an open-cockpit biplane during his birthday flight near San Diego.
- Despite the pilot's efforts to restrain him and use aircraft maneuvers to prevent the jump, the man removed his safety belt and jumped from 300-400 feet.
- His son suggested the man intended to "go out in a flash of glory," possibly influenced by his past experience flying Stearmans in World War II.
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