1908 - September 17 – At Fort Myer, Virginia, U.S.A., Thomas Selfridge becomes the first person to die in an airplane crash. The pilot, Orville Wright, is severely injured in the crash but recovers.

On September 17, 1908, a significant moment in aviation history unfolded at Fort Myer, Virginia, when tragedy struck during a demonstration flight conducted by Orville Wright, one half of the pioneering Wright brothers. Wright was piloting a new aircraft for the U.S. Army Signal Corps, accompanied by Thomas Selfridge, a lieutenant in the U.S. Army. As the flight progressed, an unforeseen mechanical failure occurred, leading to the aircraft crashing from an altitude of about 75 feet.

The impact was devastating: Thomas Selfridge became the first person in history to perish in an airplane crash. Orville Wright, though severely injured, managed to survive the crash after being pulled from the wreckage.