Background
Koenecke was the son of a locomotive engineer and had worked as a fireman.
Koenecke was the son of a locomotive engineer and had worked as a fireman.
He died of a blow to the head at the hands of the pilot and a passenger of a plane of which he had seized control. Koenecke made his professional debut for the Moline Plowboys in the Mississippi Valley League in 1927. In 1928 he joined Indianapolis in the American Association.
After several seasons with Indianapolis, Koenecke was signed to the New York Giants in December 1931 in a deal worth $75,000.
Manager John McGraw predicted he would "be a bright star in the National League". He played just the one season with the Giants.
In 1933, playing for the International League Buffalo Bisons, he hit.334 and drove in 100 RBIs with eight home runs. In 1934, Koenecke joined the Brooklyn Dodgers, where in his first season he hit 14 home runs, 73 Reserve Bank of India and set a National League fielding record with a percentage of 0.994.
His second season saw a decline in his onfield performance and his drinking became a problem to the point where he was cut during the middle of a road trip.
After being sent home from the road trip, he caught a commercial flight for New New York During the flight, he drank a quart of whiskey and became very drunk. After harassing other passengers and striking a stewardess, the pilot had to sit on him to restrain him as he was shackled to his seat.
He was removed unconscious from the flight in Detroit.
After sleeping on a chair in the airport, he chartered a flight to Buffalo. While flying over Canada, he had a disagreement with the pilot and a passenger, and he attempted to take control of the aircraft.
In order to avoid a crash, he was hit over the head by both the pilot (who had left his controls) and the other passenger with a fire extinguisher. After an emergency landing on a racetrack, it was found that Koenecke had died of a cerebral hemorrhage.
The two pilots were charged with manslaughter but were found not guilty in a trial soon after.