First fatal airplane crash

First fatal airplane crash
Who
Thomas E. Selfridge, Lieutenant Thomas Etholen Selfridge
What
First
Where
United States (Fort Myer,)
When
17 September 1908
Lieutenant Thomas Etholen Selfridge (USA) was an army observer on a plane piloted by Orville Wright (USA) on 17 September 1908 when four minutes into the performance test of the aircraft 'Wright Flyer' at Fort Myer, Virginia, USA, the propeller snapped a rudder control wire, which forced the propeller to break and lead to the plane nose diving into a field. Selfridge died from his internal injuries and fractured skull within three hours of the accident. Wright was hospitalized with a fractured thigh and several broken ribs.