September 17, 1908: The 1st Fatal Plane Crash

September 17, 1908: It has been less than 5 years since Orville Wright and his brother Wilbur invented the airplane. Only this year was a public demonstration made of it, so that the general public had become aware of the invention. Now, for the 1st time, someone dies as a result of a plane crash.

Orville Wright is the pilot. He is badly hurt. But he is not the fatal victim.

Thomas Selfridge was the nephew and grandson of Real Admirals in the U.S. Navy. Nevertheless, he went into the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York, graduating in 1903, in the class topped by eventual General of the Army Douglas MacArthur. He was stationed at the Presidio, in San Francisco, and was involved in relief efforts after the 1906 earthquake.

In 1907, he was assigned to the Aeronautical Division of the U.S. Signal Corps, the original version of what would become the U.S. Air Force. Stationed at Fort Myer, adjacent to Arlington National Cemetery on the Virginia side of the Potomac River, across from Washington, D.C.

He learned to fly dirigibles, and then a tetrahedral kite, on December 6, 1907, flying for 7 minutes of Nova Scotia, making him the 1st person to fly any heavier-than-air craft in Canada. He designed a plane called the Red Wing in 1908, but it crashed near Hammondsport, in the Finger Lakes region of New York State. The pilot, Frederick W. Baldwin, survived. On May 19, 1908, Selfridge became the 1st U.S. military officer to pilot a modern aircraft, when he flew solo in White Wing at Hammondsport.

On September 17, Orville Wright came to Fort Myer to demonstrate the Wright Model A, which he had hoped would become the Army's standard airplane. Selfridge, now with the rank of 1st Lieutenant, arranged to be his passenger, and Wright piloted the craft. On this occasion, the Flyer was carrying more weight than it had ever done before: The combined weight of the two men was about 320 pounds.

Selfridge (left) and Wright (wearing cap), before takeoff

The Model A circled Fort Myer 4½ times, at a height of 150 feet. Halfway through the 5th circuit, at 5:14 in the afternoon, the right-hand propeller broke, losing thrust. This set up a vibration, causing the split propeller to hit a guy-wire bracing the rear vertical rudder. The wire tore out of its fastening and shattered the propeller. The rudder swiveled to the horizontal and sent the Flyer into a nose dive. Wright shut off the engine and managed to glide to about 75 feet, but the craft hit the ground nose-first.

After the crash

Both men were thrown forward against the remaining wires, and Selfridge struck one of the wooden uprights of the framework, fracturing the base of his skull. He underwent neurosurgery, but died three hours later without regaining consciousness. He was 26 years old. Wright suffered severe injuries, including a broken left femur, several broken ribs, and a damaged hip, and was hospitalized for 7 weeks.

Selfridge was laid to rest at Arlington. Selfridge Air National Guard base, in the Detroit suburb of Harrison Township, Michigan, is named for him.

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September 17, 1908 was a Thursday. These baseball games were played on that day:

* The New York Highlanders lost to the Detroit Tigers, 7-4 at Bennett Park in Detroit. Ty Cobb went 0-for-2 with 2 walks.

In the 1911-12 off-season, Bennett Park was torn down, the field realigned, and Navin Field built on the site. It was renamed Briggs Stadium in 1938, and Tiger Stadium in 1961. In 1913, the Highlanders officially changed their name to what people were already calling them: The New York Yankees.

* The New York Giants beat the St. Louis Cardinals, 10-5 at the 1890-1910 version of the Polo Grounds. That stadium burned down at the start of the 1911 season, and was quickly rebuilt.

* The Brooklyn Superbas beat the Cincinnati Reds, 6-2 at Washington Park in Brooklyn. The Superbas became the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1911.

* The Chicago Cubs beat the Boston Doves, 4-1 at the 1888-1914 version of the South End Grounds in Boston. The Doves became the Boston Braves in 1912.

* The Pittsburgh Pirates beat the Philadelphia Phillies, 1-0 at National League Park in Philadelphia. The ballpark was renamed Baker Bowl in 1914. Honus Wagner went 3-for-5 with 2 RBIs.

* The Cleveland Naps beat the Boston Red Sox, 1-0 at the 1891-1909 version of League Park in Cleveland. Addie Joss pitched a 6-hit shutout, to outpitch Cy Young. The Cleveland team was named for its manager, 2nd baseman and best hitter, Napoleon "Nap" Lajoie, who went 0-for-3 in the game. The team became the Cleveland Indians in 1915, and the Cleveland Guardians in 2022.

* The Chicago White Sox beat the Washington Senators, 5-0 at South Side Park in Chicago. Guy "Doc" White, a dentist, pitched a 5-hit shutout.

* And the Philadelphia Athletics and the St. Louis Browns were rained out at the 1898-1908 version of Sportsman's Park in St. Louis. The game was made up the next day as part of a doubleheader. The Browns swept, 2-1 and 5-4.