Elsie Saunders Supple 1891-1960

As I write this today, a Malaysian jet liner remains "missing" with 239 passengers.  After 3 or so months of searching, there is still no trace of this Beijing bound flight.  How is such a thing even possible in this day and age??  Recent news headlines suggest the crew was incapacitated at the time of the disappearance in March 2014.  I have no idea how they know such a thing.

Airplane disasters are statistically infrequent (we are told) yet remain a serious impediment to travel for some.  One thing we know is that they generate a fair amount of media attention and corrective measures when appropriate.

I found an interesting story involving a "non-blood" that I thought you'd find interesting as well.  Thanks to the 1960 media attention, I've been able to fill in some details related to our family's story.  As a side note, the steps I took in this research completely validate the Ancestry.com commercials about following the "shaky leaf".  If it wasn't such a tragic story, it would make a good ad.

Elsie Saunders Supple was 70 years old when she died as her plane crashed into the sea while attempting to take off from Boston's Logan airport in October 1960.  She was apparently on her way to Pennsylvania to see a grandson.  (If you're curious, Elsie is the mother-in-law  of our 1st cousin 2x removed: George Ryan grandson of Irish patriarch Timothy Ryan).

 This is one account of the crash and its aftermath.  It's a little bit graphic so be aware if you read this.  It's interesting to note that thousands of starlings suddenly took off and were sucked into the propeller driven engines causing the crash, close enough to shore that bystanders waded out to assist in the rescue.  This accident resulted in corrective measures to help insure bird related crashes could be avoided.

Furthermore, this article notes that seat design at the time may have prevented more lives from being saved.  They detached upon impact then rolled forward apparently causing some people to drown.  In my imagination, this is what happened to Elsie.  Presumably seat design was studied and adjustments were made as a result of this accident.

As tragic as it is to think about a 70 year old grandmother dying just a few feet from shore in a plane crash while on her way to see her grandson, it is gratifying to know that positive changes resulted saving future lives.  Our family indeed has been a part of the history of the country and world!