Lowell Bayles

Lowell Richard Bayles (January 24, 1900 – December 5, 1931) was an American stunt pilot who died while trying to break the world record for the fastest world speed record at the 1931 National Air Races in Detroit, Michigan. In the 1920s, he started his career performing all around the United States, leading up to his death in 1931. On 5 December that year, he was flying his Gee Bee Model Z when the fuel cap came loose, flew through the windshield, hit him in the head and knocked him out. The plane crashed and exploded into a huge ball of flame next to a railroad track, throwing Bayles’ body 300m from the cockpit.