"The aeroplane seemed to tip sharply for a fraction of a second, then it started up for about ten feet; this was followed by a short, sharp dive and a crash in the field,” reported the New York Times about the crash of Orville Wright and Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge in Fort Myer, Virginia, on September 17, 1908. “Instantly, the dust arose in a yellow, choking cloud that spread a dull pall over the great white man-made bird that had dashed to its death.”
A cavalry officer ordered his men to control the crowd of some 2000, including top Army officials, who surged toward the wreckage. Rescuers pulled out the bloodied, unconscious forms of the 38-year-old Wright brother and Selfridge, a 26-year-old member of the Army Signal Corps, aeroplanist, and secretary of the Aerial Experiment Association. Three hours later, Selfridge died, giving him the dubious distinction of being the first fatality from a powered aircraft.
Wright regained consciousness and survived a broken leg, along with fractured ribs and hip bones, which left him in pain for the rest of his life.
Despite the crash, which resulted when a propeller split and flew into other parts of the plane, the Army remained interested in the Wright plane, and the War Department bought the invention.
Today, flying is by far the safest mode of travel in terms of the miles logged.