Following his death in Scotland's first fatal aircraft accident; a government inquiry was launched to investigate the circumstances surrounding the crash.

Lieutenant Desmond Lucius Studdert P. P. Arthur was born on 31 March 1884 at O'Brien's Bridge in County Clare, Ireland.

[3] On 18 June 1912 Arthur gained his Royal Aero Club certificate No.233 after completing his trials flying a Bristol Prier monoplane at Brooklands.

[8] The flying training school, like many others, experienced frequent crashes as it built up a force of skilled pilots through the First and Second World Wars.

[9] At around 7:30am on Tuesday 27 May 1913 Arthur's B.E.2 biplane No.205 collapsed without warning while flying over Montrose during a routine training flight from Upper Dysart to Lunan Bay.

William Joynson-Hicks complained of a "whitewash" and that the Secretary of State for War Colonel Seely would not admit to the faulty repair.

[16] An official investigation by a government committee set up on 3 August 1916 concluded that the pilot was at fault, and the crash a result of dangerous flying.

Grey, who was a personal friend of Desmond Arthur, believed that the appearance of his ghost was linked with the official investigation into the crash.

[16] A later investigative report, published at the end of 1916, reinstated the reputation of Arthur, finding that the crash was due to a damaged wing.

[18] Another legend claims that in 1942, an unidentified flight lieutenant stationed at Montrose crashed into the runway not long after takeoff, and was killed instantly.