ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 15474
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| Date: | Thursday 17 September 1908 |
| Time: | 17:18 |
| Type: | Wright Type A |
| Owner/operator: | Wright brothers |
| Registration: | SC-1 |
| MSN: | |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Location: | Fort Myer, VA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | En route |
| Nature: | Test |
| Departure airport: | |
| Confidence Rating: |  Information is only available from news, social media or unofficial sources |
During a demonstration flight for the US Army, one of the two propellers contacted a bracing wire of the tail. The wire failed, causing the tail to fail in flight. The aircraft crashed into the ground from an altitude of 50-75 feet above the ground. The propeller imbalance was caused by a split in one of the wooden propeller blades. A 2-foot section of the blade separated upon severing the tail brace wire.
Pilot: Orville Wright, injured
Passenger: Lt. Thomas E. Selfridge (US Signal Corps), deceased after the crash
Testflight for US Army
It was the first fatal plane crash in US aviation history.
Sources:
1. archive Bleiente
2. http://www.check-six.com/Crash_Sites/Selfridge.htm
3. https://www.thoughtco.com/the-first-fatal-airplane-crash-1779178
4. https://www.9lives-magazine.com/55560/2019/09/17/ca-sest-passe-17-septembre-1er-accident-mortel-avion/
Images:
17 Sept. 1908, Fort Meyer, VA (USA) by C H Claudy
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 08-Mar-2008 05:20 | Bleiente | Added |
| 13-Oct-2009 21:34 | Goldfish85 | Updated |
| 29-Apr-2010 06:14 | ion | Updated [Date, Time, Narrative] |
| 04-Aug-2011 00:37 | Anon. | Updated [Registration, Location, Narrative] |
| 04-Aug-2011 23:58 | Anon. | Updated [Registration] |
| 16-Jul-2014 06:20 | Anon. | Updated [Narrative] |
| 14-Jul-2015 16:47 | rrea | Updated [Photo, ] |
| 14-Jul-2015 16:47 | rrea | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 17-Mar-2019 22:43 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Source, Narrative] |
| 17-Mar-2019 22:46 | Iceman 29 | Updated [Narrative] |
| 18-Sep-2019 05:50 | gerard57 | Updated [Source] |
| 21-Dec-2019 07:37 | Anon. | Updated [Location] |
| 01-Jun-2022 07:26 | TB | Updated [Narrative] |
| 25-Oct-2023 06:04 | Ron Averes | Updated [[Narrative]] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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