Report of Airplane Crash
5/14/1908
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This typewritten press report describes a successful test flight by the Wright Brothers earlier in the day, and the crash of the airplane during a subsequent test flight. It was written by Mr. Salley, a correspondent for the Norfolk Landmark.
The Wright Brothers’ first flight on December 17, 1903, was the dawn of a new age — but a trip of 59 seconds for a distance of 852 feet did not convince anyone of the commercial viability of air travel. The brothers continued to experiment for two more years, but didn't fly at all in 1906 and 1907, and instead began negotiations with the U.S. and French governments with hopes of doing more with their invention. Neither nation was convinced of the practicality of the new machine, and many still doubted that powered-flight had taken place at all. If they could stay aloft for an hour and possibly carry something or someone in the airplane, then maybe there were possibilities.
On May 14, 1908, Orville and Wilbur Wright returned to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and made a number of flights with a modified 1905 flying machine with two seats. After a number of tests with a bag of sand in the second seat, Charlie Furnas, a friend from Dayton, Ohio, became the first passenger in an airplane with Orville Wright at the controls.
Later that same day, Wilbur Wright took the plane up to attempt the hour-long flight. He did make the longest flight up to that time at Kitty Hawk, but the flight was only seven minutes long. Misjudging the new controls, Wilbur took the plane down when he wanted to go up and, unfortunately, was already very close to the ground and crashed.
The wreck did not discourage the two brothers. Wilbur had covered eight miles during those seven minutes for a speed of over 60 miles an hour. Later, on September 9, Orville Wright would make the first hour-long flight in a demonstration for the U.S. Army at Fort Myer, Virginia.
The Wright Brothers’ first flight on December 17, 1903, was the dawn of a new age — but a trip of 59 seconds for a distance of 852 feet did not convince anyone of the commercial viability of air travel. The brothers continued to experiment for two more years, but didn't fly at all in 1906 and 1907, and instead began negotiations with the U.S. and French governments with hopes of doing more with their invention. Neither nation was convinced of the practicality of the new machine, and many still doubted that powered-flight had taken place at all. If they could stay aloft for an hour and possibly carry something or someone in the airplane, then maybe there were possibilities.
On May 14, 1908, Orville and Wilbur Wright returned to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, and made a number of flights with a modified 1905 flying machine with two seats. After a number of tests with a bag of sand in the second seat, Charlie Furnas, a friend from Dayton, Ohio, became the first passenger in an airplane with Orville Wright at the controls.
Later that same day, Wilbur Wright took the plane up to attempt the hour-long flight. He did make the longest flight up to that time at Kitty Hawk, but the flight was only seven minutes long. Misjudging the new controls, Wilbur took the plane down when he wanted to go up and, unfortunately, was already very close to the ground and crashed.
The wreck did not discourage the two brothers. Wilbur had covered eight miles during those seven minutes for a speed of over 60 miles an hour. Later, on September 9, Orville Wright would make the first hour-long flight in a demonstration for the U.S. Army at Fort Myer, Virginia.
This primary source comes from the Records of the Weather Bureau.
National Archives Identifier: 279331
Full Citation: Report of Airplane Crash; 5/14/1908; Records Relating to Aviation Experiments Conducted by Orville and Wilbur Wright at Kitty Hawk, N.C., 1899 - 1950; Records of the Weather Bureau, Record Group 27; National Archives at Atlanta, Morrow, GA. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/report-airplane-crash, March 28, 2024]Rights: Public Domain, Free of Known Copyright Restrictions. Learn more on our privacy and legal page.