September 17, 1908: During flight trials to win a contract from the U.S. Army Signal Corps, pilot Orville Wright and passenger Lt. Thomas Selfridge crash in a Wright Flyer at Fort Myer, Virginia. Wright is injured, and Selfridge becomes the first passenger to die in an aeroplane accident.
After Wilbur and Orville Wright made their historic first-ever aeroplane flight on Dec. 17, 1903, they spent the next few years largely in seclusion developing their new invention. By the end of 1905, their interest in aviation had changed from curiosity and the challenge of flying to the business of how to turn aviation into an industry: They were looking for a business model.
Unfortunately, their first attempts to attract the United States government to the idea of using aeroplanes were turned down. The military just didn't see how the aeroplane could be used in any practical way.
For two-and-a-half years the Wright brothers did not fly. They continued to work on their aeroplane but put more and more time into building the business. Eventually, they were able to attract interest from both the French and British governments, but by 1907 they still did not have any firm contracts.
But the Wright brothers were awarded two contracts in 1908: The Army contract was for a bid to fly a two-man "heavier-than-air" flying machine that would have to complete a series of trials over a measured course. In addition to the $25,000 (about $600,000 in today's buying power) bid, the brothers would receive a $2,500 bonus for every mile per hour of speed faster than 40 mph. No supersonic stealth fighters just yet. Because they had not flown since October 1905, the brothers returned to Kitty Hawk to test their new controls to be used on the Wright Flyer in the Army flight trials. Despite some difficulty getting used to the new controls, both brothers managed to get some practice flying in during their stay in North Carolina.
Wilbur was in France during the summer of 1908 demonstrating the new Wright Flyer to Europeans. Orville remained in the United States and on Sept. 3 made his first flight at Fort Myer, where the Army trials were set to begin. The Red Wing of the wright brothers first flew on March 12, 1908, but crashed and was destroyed on its second flight a few days later. Thomas Selfridge was the first person to die in an air crash.
During the first two weeks of September Orville made 15 flights at Fort Myer. He set three world records on Sept. 9, including a 62-minute flight and the first public passenger flight. By Sept. 12 Orville had flown more than 74 minutes in a single flight and carried Maj. George Squier for more than 9 minutes in one flight.
