But
subsequent investigation revealed the fact that a lucky bullet
from the Allies' aeroplane had lodged in the brain of the German
pilot, killing him instantly. At the moment when Death over took
him the aviator had set his plane for the descent to the ground,
and the machine came to earth in the manner of a glider.
But in other instances the descent has been far more tragic. The
aeroplane, deprived of its motive power, has taken the deadly
headlong dive to earth. It has struck the ground with terrific
violence, burying its nose in the soil, showing incidentally that
a flying machine is an indifferent plough, and has shattered
itself, the debris soaked with the escaping fuel becoming
ignited. In any event, after such a fall the machine is certain
to be a wreck. The motor may escape damage, in which event it
is salvaged, the machine subsequently being purposely sacrificed
to the flames, thereby rendering it no longer available to the
enemy even if captured. In many instances the hostile fire has
smashed some of the stays and wires, causing the aeroplane to
lose its equilibrium, and sending it to earth in the manner of
the proverbial stone, the aviators either being dashed to pieces
or burned to death.
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