- 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.
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