From your link: > There are a few suggested derivations for the phrase. One, put forward in a 1955 edition of American Speech, is the idea that when a jet cras

From your link: > There are a few suggested derivations for the phrase. One, put forward in a 1955 edition of American Speech, is the idea that when a jet crashes on a farm the farmer may sue the government for compensation. That would generate a large enough amount of money to pay off the farm's mortgage. Hence, the pilot paid for the farm with his life. Etymology is tough historic recreation, but it seems as plausible as the others suggested by your article.