On a relaxing Sunday afternoon on June 28, 1931, Betty Robinson and her cousin Wilson Palmer, a novice pilot, decided to take a flight in what one newspaper described as “an ancient plane of small design.” Betty was an Olympian. In 1928, she won the first Olympic championship in the 100 meters for women’s track. Betty had made a few attempts to pilot a plane herself and took frequent flights with her cousin. Betty’s and Wilson’s parents and friends chatted warmly at the airfield as their flight began. It was a scene they were familiar with until the airplane reached an altitude of about 400 feet. They noticed something was wrong. The airplane was struggling to gain altitude and the engine stalled. Wilson fought at the controls until the plane “slipped into a nosedive and plunged almost straight down.” At that crucial moment, Wilson instinctively cut off the plane’s ignition switch. There was nothing anyone could do. Wilson fought with the controls until the end. Family and friends watched helplessly for those few seconds as the plane silently plummeted straight down to the ground right in front of them. Because Wilson had turned off the ignition switch, there was no fire. The crowd rushed to what remained of the airplane and dragged Betty’s and Wilson’s unconscious bodies from the wreckage. Motorists who had witnessed the crash stopped to help and transported Betty and Wilson to two different hospitals in Chicago; Betty was taken to Oak Forest Infirmary and Wilson to Ingalls Memorial Hospital. Doctors at both hospitals told their families that it was unlikely that either would survive. All they could do was hope and pray.
After reviewing her x-rays, Dr. Jacob Minke explained Betty’s injuries: “The thigh bone is fractured in several places between the knee and the hip and when it heals it will probably be a little shorter than the other leg. It will be months before she is able to walk again. She has a fractured left arm and internal injuries which may be more serious than is yet apparent.” Headlines read, “Crash Will End Athletics for Betty Robinson.”
On September 5, 1931, Betty was able to leave the hospital but remained in a wheelchair. She slowly began regaining her strength and her ability to walk. “Not being able to race is terrible to contemplate,” Betty said after leaving the hospital, “but I have determined not to let this accident ruin my life.” She hoped to become a coach at the 1936 Olympics. Despite her countless hours of physical therapy and training, Betty was never able to get back into the crouching position runners take before a race. Betty was at the 1936 Olympics, but not as a coach. Five years after the airplane crash that left her body broken and battered, Betty was part of the U.S. 4 x 100 meter relay team. During the race, Betty took the lead from her German counterpart and led her team to victory. Even with a stiff left arm and permanent damage to her left leg, Betty Robinson won her second Olympic Gold Medal.
Sources:
1. The Minneapolis Tribune, June 29, 1931, p. 1.
2. Chicago Tribune, June 30, 1931, p. 13.
3. Chicago Tribune, September 6, 1931, p. 17.
4. Chicago Tribune, September 29, 1931, p. 4.
5. Chicago Tribune, December 22, 1931, p. 21.
6. Chicago Tribune, August 10, 1936, p. 20.