Frank Eugene Corder (May 26, 1956 – September 12, 1994) was an American truck driver. He stole a Cessna 150 late on September 11, 1994, and crashed the stolen aircraft onto the

South Lawn The South Lawn at the White House in Washington, D.C., is directly south of the house and is bordered on the east by East Executive Drive and the Treasury Building, on the west by West Executive Drive and the Old Executive Office Building, and ...

of the White House early on September 12, 1994, while attempting to land the plane; he was killed, and was the sole casualty.

Background

Corder was born in Perry Point, Maryland, the son of William Eugene Corder, who was an aircraft mechanic at

Edgewood Arsenal Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG) (sometimes erroneously called Aberdeen Proving ''Grounds'') is a U.S. Army facility located adjacent to Aberdeen, Harford County, Maryland, United States. More than 7,500 civilians and 5,000 military personnel work at ...

, and Dorothy Corder. He dropped out of Aberdeen High School in the eleventh grade and enlisted in the Army in October 1974. Corder was stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky and

Fort Carson, Colorado Fort Carson is a United States Army post located directly south of Colorado Springs in El Paso, Pueblo, Fremont, and Huerfano counties, Colorado, United States. The developed portion of Fort Carson is located near the City of Colorado Springs ...

, where he was trained as a mechanic. He was honorably discharged from military service in July 1975 at the rank of

private first class Private first class (french: Soldat de 1 classe; es, Soldado de primera) is a military rank held by junior enlisted personnel in a number of armed forces. French speaking countries In France and other French speaking countries, the rank (; ) ...

. After his service ended, he worked as a truck driver from 1976 until his employment was terminated in early 1993. On April 15, 1993, Corder was arrested for theft and was arrested again later that year on October 9 for drug dealing. He was sentenced to spend 90 days at a drug rehabilitation center and was released in February 1994. After he was released, he was living with his third wife Lydia at Keyser's Motel in Aberdeen, Maryland. Lydia Corder left Frank three weeks prior to the incident, which is thought to have driven him towards deep depression and

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Mental disorders (including depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, personality disorders, anxiety disorders), physical disorders (such as chronic fatigue syndrome), and s ...

. Friends claim he bore no ill will towards President Bill Clinton and probably only wanted the publicity of the stunt, based largely on his sentiments towards Mathias Rust's flight of a Cessna 172 from Finland to Moscow, USSR. The President was not even in the mansion at the time due to renovations, but was instead staying at Blair House.

Incident

Corder stole the Cessna on the night of September 11 and departed from Harford County Airport in Churchville, Maryland while severely intoxicated, which is presumed to have led to his later miscalculation. The plane was noticed by radar technicians at Ronald Reagan National Airport several minutes before he tried to steer it into the wall of the White House. At 1:49 a.m., he hit the South Lawn and died on impact. The crash caused a re-evaluation in security procedures around the White House, as the pilot had entered restricted airspace. Though the White House is rumored to be equipped with

surface-to-air missile A surface-to-air missile (SAM), also known as a ground-to-air missile (GTAM) or surface-to-air guided weapon (SAGW), is a missile designed to be launched from the ground to destroy aircraft or other missiles. It is one type of anti-aircraft syst ...

s, none were fired. The Secret Service has neither confirmed nor dispelled the rumor.

Background

Incident

See also

References

Further reading