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September 1908 Orville Wright Plane Crash

Updated Jun 26, 2025
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September 1908 Orville Wright Plane Crash
During flight trials to win a contract from the U.S. Army Signal Corps, pilot Orville Wright and passenger Lt. Thomas Selfridge crashed in a Wright Flyer at Fort Myer, Virginia. Wright was injured, and Selfridge becomes the first passenger to die in an airplane accident.

Another image of this crash can be found at: Pilot Orville Wright plane crash kills Lt. Selfridge - 1st airplane fatality
Date & Place: at Fort Myer in Arlington, Arlington County, Virginia 22211, United States
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Orville Wright
Along with his brother, Wilber, Orville Wright is known for being a pioneer in aviation in the U.S. They invented, built, and flew the world's first successful motor-operated airplane in 1903. Their first enterprise was a bicycle shop - they repaired and sold bicycles! Neither of the brothers had middle names as their father wanted to give them "unique enough" first names.
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