 Flying the Curtiss R-8, a wing strut failed as Pearson attempted to recover from a dive and his plane crashed into the ground at 260 miles per hour near Fairfield, Ohio, killing him instantly.Pearson Field was officially dedicated on September 16, 1925, and to mark the occasion Lt. Oakley G. Kelly organized a large air show.Fifty-six aircraft from across the West converged on Pearson Field, providing the audience of 20,000 a spectacular show of precision flying and parachute drops.