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375:. Norris concluded that Loewenstein had been thrown from the aircraft by the pilot, Donald Drew, at the behest of Madeleine Loewenstein, the motive being to gain control of his fortune. He suggested that the aircraft's rear door was completely removed while in the air, and a replacement later fitted on the beach at
330:, but that they did not want anyone to suggest after the burial that Loewenstein might have been poisoned or had died in the aircraft and then been thrown out. The autopsy revealed a partial fracture of Loewenstein's skull and several broken bones; it was concluded that he had been alive when he struck the water.
382:
Crime writers Robert and Carol
Bridgestock have speculated that Loewenstein faked his own death and disappeared because of the financial irregularities in his businesses. This theory is supported by the facts that the body was buried in an unmarked grave, and that his wife did not attend the funeral.
278:
When
Loewenstein had not reappeared after some time, his secretary went in search of him and discovered that the lavatory was empty, while the aircraft's entrance door was open and flapping in the slipstream. The employee (along with the others on the aircraft) asserted his belief that Loewenstein
306:
On 12 July 1928, it was reported that tests had been conducted by the
Accidents Branch of the British Air Ministry using Loewenstein's aircraft. It was stated that at an altitude of 1,000 ft (300 m) one of the Ministry men had thrown himself against the aircraft's entry door, which had
371:. He also shows that later events are frequently ignored, such as the fact that Loewenstein's son Robert shot one of the family servants under murky circumstances within a decade or so after the tragedy. The son was himself killed in an aviation accident in 1941 while serving with the
403:
alleged that
Loewenstein became partners with Rothstein to fund a major drugs deal in spring 1928, and that his death would have cut off the necessary funding, causing Rothstein to dig deeper into his already stretched resources to prevent the deal collapsing.
351:
hypothesised that a growing absent-mindedness, noted by many of
Loewenstein's acquaintances, may have caused him to walk out the wrong door of the aircraft. Because he had left behind a tangled web of business ventures, many of which were highly
119:. At his peak in the 1920s, Loewenstein was worth around ÂŁ12 million in the currency of the time (equivalent to ÂŁ913.25 million in 2023), making him the third-richest person in the world at the time. His wealth came from investments in
858:
367:(New York: Viking, 1987). Norris presents evidence in support of his case that, if Loewenstein's death was not a conspiracy by business rivals and associates, a certain opportunism existed regarding the death of the tycoon and his
275:. In Loewenstein's aircraft, a door at the rear of the main passenger cabin opened on to a short passage with two doors: the one on the right led to the lavatory, while the one on the left was the aircraft's entrance door.
159:. The offer was refused. At war's end, he maintained a residence in England where he ran an investment business that made him one of Europe's most powerful financiers. He partnered with the investment house of
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had fallen through the aircraft's rear door and plunged several thousand feet to his death in the
English Channel. The aircraft landed first on the beach, before transferring to the airfield at
356:, others theorized that his business empire was on the verge of collapse. Some even asserted that corrupt business practices were about to be exposed and that Loewenstein, therefore, committed
345:
Many theories have been put forward as to exactly what had happened to
Loewenstein in the back of his aircraft; some suspected a criminal conspiracy in which his employees murdered him.
337:, in a tomb belonging to his wife's family, the Misonnes. However, his name was never carved on the slab covering his casket, so he was in effect buried in an unmarked grave.
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217:(SIDRO). By the mid-1920s, Loewenstein's reputation was such that he was consulted by heads of state from around the globe. The British government made Loewenstein a
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147:, and the daughter of Brussels stockbroker Chrétien Dansaert, a Catholic. Alfred established his own banking concern, and was a wealthy man by 1914. In
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violently slammed the door shut. It was concluded that it would have been impossible for someone to accidentally open the door and fall out.
127:
businesses when those industries were in their infancy. Loewenstein is remembered today for his mysterious disappearance and death in 1928.
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BBC audio with podcast link for Punt PI Series 7 Episode 1 The
Mysterious Death of Flying Millionaire Alfred Loewenstein
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In 1926, Loewenstein established "International
Holdings and Investments Limited", which raised huge amounts of
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was performed (at the request of his family), his brother-in-law stating that they did not suspect anyone of
714:"TEST DOOR OF PLANE LOEWENSTEIN USED; British Officials Doubt He Could Have Fallen Out of It Accidentally".
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opened about 6 in (150 mm). However, he was immediately thrown back into the aircraft when the
267:(G-EBYI), along with six other people. According to those on board, while the aircraft was crossing the
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615:"LOWENSTEIN'S TRAGIC END SHAKES EUROPE'S MARKETS; SUICIDE THEORY IS RAISED: CAPTAIN ALFRED LOWENSTEIN".
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at an altitude of 4,000 ft (1,200 m), Loewenstein went to the rear of the aircraft to use the
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US$ 50 million, interest-free, to stabilize the
Belgian currency in return for the right to print
748:"The Curious Case of Alfred Loewenstein: The World's Third-Richest Man Who Fell From an Airplane"
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Rothstein: The Life, Times, and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series
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Rothstein The Life, Times, and Murder of the Criminal Genius Who Fixed the 1919 World Series
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Murray Teigh Bloom – The Man Who Stole Portugal, London: Secker & Warburg (1966), p. 25.
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Loewenstein listed among famous people who died in aviation accidents in the 1920s
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facilities for developing countries worldwide through his Belgian-based company,
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Share of the Soc. Internationale d'Énergie Hydro-Électrique, issued 6. July 1924
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from wealthy investors wishing to get aboard his bandwagon of success.
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Punt PI The Mysterious Death of Flying Millionaire Alfred Loewenstein
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In 2021, Loewenstein's death was the subject of the final episode of
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In 1987, William Norris wrote Loewenstein's story in a book titled
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Project Gutenberg Australia. (e-book, 2012). Accessed 23 Dec. 2015
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In 2010, Loewenstein's death was the subject of an episode of the
322:, where his identity was confirmed by means of his wristwatch; an
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In 2014, Loewenstein's death was the subject of an episode of
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Who Travels Alone. The Life and Death of Alfred Loewenstein
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859:"Vanishings! Alfred Loewenstein: The Missing Millionaire"
703:. No. 44938. London. 6 July 1928. col D, p. 16.
231:
In 1926, he bought Villa Sacchino, a sumptuous house in
657:"Suicide hinted in strange death of europe's croesus"
255:
On the evening of 4 July 1928, Loewenstein left from
630:Privat, Maurice; Huebner, Friedrich Markus (1929).
189:. His horses won the 1926 and 1928 runnings of the
182:Loewenstein was an owner of a successful stable of
1029:Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1928
633:Finanz giganten Alfred Loewensteins glĂĽck und ende
528:List of people who disappeared mysteriously at sea
219:Companion of The Most Honourable Order of the Bath
663:. St Petersburg, Florida. 5 July 1928. p. 1.
318:on 19 July 1928 and was taken by fishing boat to
215:Société Internationale d'Énergie Hydro-Électrique
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209:Loewenstein made an enormous fortune providing
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333:Loewenstein was buried in a cemetery outside
171:, the duo emerging with more than ÂŁ1,000,000
1009:Honorary companions of the Order of the Bath
911:Newspaper clippings about Alfred Loewenstein
557:. Paris, La nouvelle société d'édition, 1929
115:(11 March 1877 – 4 July 1928) was a Belgian
360:. None of these theories were ever proven.
793:Argus (Melbourne, Vic. : 1848 - 1957)
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585:"Généalogie de Alfred Léonard LOEWENSTEIN"
42:
954:Belgian expatriates in the United Kingdom
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290:
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974:Belgian people of German-Jewish descent
387:Alleged drug deal with Arnold Rothstein
314:Loewenstein's body was discovered near
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813:BBC Radio 4, 12 July 2014, Steve Punt
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555:La vie et la mort d'Alfred Loewenstein
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299:in his corporations' publicly traded
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139:, Belgium, to Bernard Loewenstein, a
999:Deaths by falling out of an aircraft
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295:News of Loewenstein's demise caused
153:Belgian government at Sainte-Adresse
48:Loewenstein (by Jos De Swerts, 1926)
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867:. 31 March 2006. Archived from
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135:Alfred Loewenstein was born in
730:"Lowenstein post-mortem urged"
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131:Early life and business career
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1019:Racehorse owners and breeders
994:Converts to Roman Catholicism
775:The Man Who Fell From the Sky
678:"G-EBYI Accident description"
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541:The Man Who Fell From the Sky
440:Buzzfeed Unsolved: True Crime
391:In his biography of gangster
365:The Man Who Fell From the Sky
27:Belgian financier (1877–1928)
989:Businesspeople from Brussels
191:Grand Steeple-Chase de Paris
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915:20th Century Press Archives
636:. E.A. Seemann. p. 11.
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263:on his private aircraft, a
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939:1920s missing person cases
736:. 23 July 1928. p. 1.
718:. 13 July 1928. p. 5.
699:"Fall From an Aeroplane".
543:. New York, Viking, 1987.
495:Marjorie Merriweather Post
151:, Loewenstein offered the
108:Alfred LĂ©onard Loewenstein
58:Alfred LĂ©onard Loewenstein
864:History (U.S. TV channel)
795:. 1 April 1941. p. 3
680:. Aviation Safety Network
619:. 6 July 1928. p. 1.
265:Fokker F.VIIa/3m trimotor
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904:29 February 2020 at the
773:Norris, William (1987).
187:steeplechase race horses
143:banker who converted to
1004:Formerly missing people
979:Belgian Roman Catholics
789:"WEALTHY AIRMAN KILLED"
661:The Evening Independent
561:E. Phillips Oppenheim:
523:List of unsolved deaths
510:William Randolph Hearst
373:Air Transport Auxiliary
505:William Barstow Strong
475:William Jackson Palmer
291:News and investigation
206:
752:Commonplace Fun Facts
239:, with a view on the
237:French Basque Country
204:
777:. Viking. p. 2.
485:Cornelius Vanderbilt
101:banker, entrepreneur
465:John D. Rockefeller
959:Belgian financiers
829:(1 January 2003).
716:The New York Times
408:In popular culture
348:The New York Times
207:
197:Business successes
36:Alfred Loewenstein
964:Belgian investors
169:business ventures
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18:Alfred Lowenstein
16:(Redirected from
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835:Basic Books
591:(in French)
500:Marcus Daly
426:BBC Radio 4
419:Vanishings!
167:in several
149:World War I
145:Catholicism
83:4 July 1928
928:Categories
799:20 October
595:20 October
571:References
490:Henry Ford
309:slipstream
287:, France.
259:to fly to
64:1877-03-11
701:The Times
399:, author
369:insurance
354:leveraged
328:foul play
235:, in the
117:financier
91:North Sea
74:, Belgium
902:Archived
589:Geneanet
448:See also
341:Theories
316:Boulogne
273:lavatory
261:Brussels
243:and the
233:Biarritz
161:Canadian
137:Brussels
72:Brussels
917:of the
913:in the
758:31 July
684:12 July
517:General
431:Punt PI
421:series.
395:titled
377:St. Pol
358:suicide
324:autopsy
226:capital
179:alone.
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320:Calais
301:shares
173:profit
163:-born
335:Evere
877:2010
839:ISBN
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123:and
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