- | ACCIDENT DETAILS |
Date: | September 17, 1908 |
Time: | 1718 |
Location: | Fort Myer, Virginia |
Operator: | Military - U.S. Army |
Flight #: | ? |
Route: | Demonstration |
AC Type: | Wright Flyer III |
Registration: | ? |
cn / ln: | 1 |
Aboard: | 2 (passengers:1 crew:1) |
Fatalities: | 1 (passengers:1 crew:0) |
Ground: | 0 |
Summary: | During a demonstration flight, a U.S. Army flyer flown by Orville Wright nose-dived into the ground from a height of approximately 75 feet, killing Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge, 26, who was a passenger. This was the first recorded airplane fatality in history. One of two propellers separated in flight, tearing loose the wires bracing the rudder and causing the loss of control of the aircraft. Orville Wright suffered broken ribs, pelvis and a leg. Selfridge suffered a crushed skull and died a short time later. |
Sources
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