Doctor who lost his life in plane crash once made a visit here

By By Bob Jaques, Special to the Enquirer
A tragic airplane accident near Destin, Fla. claimed the life of famed Birmingham neurosurgeon Dr. Evan Zeiger and his wife, Peggy, as his WW II trainer aircraft plunged into the Gulf waters March 6.
According to eye-witnesses, Dr. Zeiger was practicing flying in formation with two other aircraft when his airplane suddenly crashed into the water and sank in about 50 feet of water.
The accident occurred about 12.30 p.m. The cause of the crash remains under NSTB investigation.
Last Aug. 29, Dr. Zeiger and his wife Peggy, who rode in the back seat of his T-6 WW II trainer airplane, and two other friends flying T-6 airplanes made a special visit to Hartselle Airport’s Open House.
Before landing at the airport, they flew in formation and passed over the hundreds of spectators watching them fly above the runway.
After landing and parking their airplanes, Dr. Zeiger, his family, and friends toured each of the airport activities, and then sat down to enjoy a sandwich and drink.
Dr. Zeiger told me before he left to return home, “I am impressed with all the activities and the crowd at this airport. We are all glad we came. It was fun.” As he climbed into his T-6 to return to his home airport in Birmingham, he said “We would like to come back sometime”.
Dr. Zeiger, who was my surgeon, has also operated on several people from the Hartselle community. He was considered one of the finest neurosurgeons in Alabama.
He will be remembered by his many friends and patients, and also by those at last year’s Hartselle Airport Open House.