Len Koenecke Misbehaved On Plane. Did Not Live To Regret It
When this pilot said "knock it off" he wasn't kidding around.
Len Koenecke was an outfielder with the Brooklyn Dodgers for most of 1935, but near the end of the season he was released for “behavior and erratic play.” The Dodger left St. Louis by passenger plane, but was ordered off in Detroit because of intoxication. Len chartered a three-seater plane for Buffalo that included both the pilot and the co-pilot.
Things went from bad to worse when Koenecke started goofing around during the flight and would not stop. A fight ensued; the pilot grabbed a fire extinguisher and while still flying the plane he whacked on the offender’s head. By the time the pilot landed the plane the baseball player was dead.
Via: Dr. Caligari's Cabinet
This reminded me of the story of the kid who dressed up as a cowboy and tried to hijack a plane (he wanted to go out west and be a real cowboy). I think it was Chicago in the late 50's. Anyway, the pilot shot him. One of those ten-line stories that stays with you.
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