The Michelin family at this time were known for their active advocacy of aviation. A qualified test pilot, Étienne Michelin took off on the late afternoon of 27 August 1932 from the Aulnat Aerodrome at the controls of his 85 hp Morane mono-plane and headed towards the nearby Chaîne des Puys, a group of former volcanoes in the Massif Central. Caught up in a storm, he crashed at Saint-Genès-Champanelle a short distance from the Puy de Dôme (lava dome) and was killed in the accident. Press reports at the time suggested that, caught up in thick fog, he had misjudged his altitude. A stone cross marks the spot.