Airmail pilot Arthur Roy Smith

Arthur Smith was employed as an airmail pilot for the US Post Office Department from April 1, 1923 until his death in an airplane crash on February 12, 1926. Smith was part of the August 21-24, 1923 experimental day and night transcontinental flight, carrying mail from Cleveland, Ohio to Chicago, Illinois on the first day of the service. Before serving as an airmail pilot, Smith flew as a stunt pilot in aviation exhibitions across the US and around the world, including shows in San Francisco, Korea, and Japan. He was killed on February 12, 1926 when the Curtiss Carrier Pigeon aircraft he was flying from Chicago, Illinois to Bryan, Ohio hit a grove of trees near Montpelier, Ohio.

Photographer: Unknown

National Postal Museum, Curatorial Photographic Collection

Museum ID: A.2009-1