This is a list of notable accidents and incidents involving military aircraft grouped by the year in which the accident or incident occurred. Not all of the aircraft were in operation at the time. For more exhaustive lists, see the Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives
or the Aviation Safety Network
or the Scramble on-line magazine accident database.
Combat losses are not included except for a very few cases denoted by singular circumstances.
Aircraft terminology
Information on aircraft gives the type, and if available, the serial number of the operator in italics, the constructors number, also known as the manufacturer's serial number (c/n), exterior codes in apostrophes, nicknames (if any) in quotation marks, flight callsign in italics, and operating units.
1861
;21 July
:Gen.
Irvin McDowell requests that a balloon be brought to the front at the
Battle of First Manassas
The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas ,
Centreville, Virginia
Centreville is a census-designated place (CDP) in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States and a suburb of Washington, D.C. The population was 73,518 as of the 2020 census. Centreville is approximately west of Washington, D.C.
History
Colonia ...
. Mary Hoehling tells of the sudden appearance of
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
aeronaut
John Wise who demanded that Prof.
Thaddeus S. C. Lowe
Thaddeus Sobieski Constantine Lowe (August 20, 1832 – January 16, 1913), also known as Professor T. S. C. Lowe, was an American Civil War aeronaut, scientist and inventor, mostly self-educated in the fields of chemistry, meteorology, and a ...
stop his inflating of his balloon "Enterprise" and let him inflate his balloon instead. Wise had legal papers upholding his purported authority. Although Wise's arrival on the scene was tardy, he did inflate his balloon and proceeded toward the battlefield. On the way the balloon became caught in the brush and was permanently disabled. His balloon became lodged in trees, which eventually tore the fabric. This ended Wise's bid for the position, and Lowe was at last unencumbered from taking up the task as Chief Aeronaut of the
U.S. Army. "Lowe helped avoid panic after the First Battle of Manassas by ascending to a height of 3 miles and reporting that no Confederate forces were advancing on
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
."
1895
;4 July
:A large German military balloon burst at the
German Army
The German Army (, "army") is the land component of the armed forces of Germany. The present-day German Army was founded in 1955 as part of the newly formed West German ''Bundeswehr'' together with the ''Marine'' (German Navy) and the ''Luftwaf ...
's Balloon Department grounds. Five balloonists were injured.
1907
;28 May
:Lieuts. Theodore E. Martin-Leake, 28, and William T. M'Clintock Caulfield, 27, of the
British Army
The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gurk ...
ascend at 1630 hrs. from the military balloon factory at
Cove, near
Aldershot
Aldershot () is a town in Hampshire, England. It lies on heathland in the extreme northeast corner of the county, southwest of London. The area is administered by Rushmoor Borough Council. The town has a population of 37,131, while the Alders ...
, in the balloon ''Thresher'', witnessed by
King Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...
and
Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu
was a scion of the Japanese imperial family and was a career naval officer who served as chief of staff of the Imperial Japanese Navy from 1932 to 1941.
Early life
Prince Hiroyasu was born in Tokyo as Prince Narukata, the eldest son of Princ ...
. For unknown reasons they do not descend a few hours later as planned, and the balloon is sighted over
Weymouth at 2030 hrs., drifting towards the sea.
[Correspondents, "Lost War Balloon", ''Poverty Bay Herald'', Gisborne, New Zealand, Saturday 20 July 1907, Volume XXXIV, Number 11120, Supplement.] The crew drown when the balloon crashes in
Lyme Bay.
The trawler ''Skylark'' (Captain Johnson) discovers the partially submerged balloon ten miles off
Exmouth
Exmouth is a harbor, port town, civil parishes in England, civil parish and seaside resort, sited on the east bank of the mouth of the River Exe and southeast of Exeter.
In 2011 it had a population of 34,432, making Exmouth the List of town ...
on 29 May and after some difficulty brings it into
Brixham
Brixham is a coastal town and civil parish, the smallest and southernmost of the three main population centres (the others being Paignton and Torquay) on the coast of Torbay in the county of Devon, in the south-west of England. Commercial fish ...
where it is transferred to the custody of
Customs
Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...
officials.
Caulfield's body recovered at
Weymouth on 24 June. Leake's body never found.
;2 June
:Captain of the Military Engineers Arnaldo Ulivelli's balloon departs from
Ponte Milvio but is hit by lightning while flying above a military parade in
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
. He suffers from broken bones and burns as his balloon falls from 500 metres, crashes on the
Via Cassia
The ''Via Cassia'' ("way of Cassius") was an important Roman road striking out of the ''Via Flaminia'' near the Milvian Bridge in the immediate vicinity of Rome and, passing not far from Veii, traversed Etruria. The ''Via Cassia'' passed throug ...
, not far from the intersection with Via della Camilluccia, and dies four hours later in San Giacomo Hospital. A stone memorial has been erected at the crash site.
;22 June
:A military balloon falls and explodes in
Debrecen
Debrecen ( , is Hungary's second-largest city, after Budapest, the regional centre of the Northern Great Plain region and the seat of Hajdú-Bihar County. A city with county rights, it was the largest Hungarian city in the 18th century and i ...
,
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
. Its crew of two
French Army
The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...
officers and one
Austro-Hungarian Army officer, and ten peasant men on the ground are killed. With thirteen fatalities it was the worst air accident until the 1913
Helgoland Island Air Disaster
The Helgoland Island air disaster occurred on 9 September 1913 after the airship Zeppelin LZ 14 had been transferred to the Imperial German Navy on 7 October 1912. As the first airship owned by the Navy, it was given the serial number ''L-1''. ...
.
![1907 Patrie propeller Ireland](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/1907_Patrie_propeller_Ireland.jpg)
;30 November
:The French Army's first airship, ''
Patrie'', is torn loose from temporary moorings at
Souhesmes during a storm. After briefly touching down in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, it is last sighted near the
Hebrides
The Hebrides (; gd, Innse Gall, ; non, Suðreyjar, "southern isles") are an archipelago off the west coast of the Scottish mainland. The islands fall into two main groups, based on their proximity to the mainland: the Inner and Outer Hebrid ...
.
1908
;20 May
:
Brazilian Armed Forces
The Brazilian Armed Forces ( pt, Forças Armadas Brasileiras, ) are the unified military forces of the Federative Republic of Brazil. Consisting of three service branches, it comprises the Brazilian Army (including the Brazilian Army Aviatio ...
officer Lt. Juventino Fonseca died from injuries sustained when his balloon prematurely took off during military inspection due to a gust of wind. As his balloon was still tethered, it crashed into the ground over
Manaus
Manaus () is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Amazonas. It is the seventh-largest city in Brazil, with an estimated 2020 population of 2,219,580 distributed over a land area of about . Located at the east center of the s ...
.
![Fort Myer Wright Flyer crash](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Fort_Myer_Wright_Flyer_crash.jpg)
;17 September
:
Wright Model A, piloted by
Orville Wright, crashes at
Fort Myer,
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...
, killing Lt.
Thomas E. Selfridge. During the flight, which had begun soon after 5pm., a propeller broke and severed control wires. The trials continued the following year with a new smaller version of the Wright A which became the first military aircraft when purchased by the US Army. This aircraft served for two years and was retired on 4 May 1911. It is now on display at the
Smithsonian Institution
The Smithsonian Institution ( ), or simply the Smithsonian, is a group of museums and education and research centers, the largest such complex in the world, created by the U.S. government "for the increase and diffusion of knowledge". Founded ...
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution, also called the Air and Space Museum, is a museum in Washington, D.C., in the United States.
Established in 1946 as the National Air Museum, it opened its main building on the Nat ...
,
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, after having been accepted for exhibition on 20 October 1911.
Selfridge Air Force Base,
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, was later named for the first U.S. military aircrash victim. Wright was hospitalized until 31 October 1908 and spent several more weeks on crutches.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 32.]
;16 October
:Pilot
Samuel Franklin Cody takes off from
Farnborough Farnborough may refer to:
Australia
* Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone
United Kingdom
* Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England
** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...
Common, Great Britain, in his
British Army Aeroplane No 1, a biplane powered by a
Antoinette 8V
The Antoinette 8V was an early French eight-cylinder, liquid-cooled, V engine, the first series production gasoline-fueled, spark plug ignition engine of any kind produced with manifold injection. It was typically rated at . First produced in ...
engine. His flight covers 424 metres before ending in a crash-landing, which he survives.
1909
;16 May: A French military balloon collides with electric light wires and is destroyed by fire at
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
.
![1909-09-03 Damaged Pollcards Jussy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cd/1909-09-03_Damaged_Pollcards_Jussy.jpg)
;3 September:The French army airship ''
La République
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...
'' sets off from
Chalais-Meudon
Chalais-Meudon is an aeronautical research and development centre in Meudon, to the south-west of Paris. It was originally founded in 1793 in the nearby Château de Meudon and has played an important role in the development of French aviation.
B ...
for a flight to
Lapalisse
Lapalisse (; oc, La Paliça) is a commune in the Allier department, central France. The organist Émile Bourdon (1884–1974) was born in Lapalisse. The 11th century Château de La Palice is located in the commune.
Population
See also
*Comm ...
. After 62 miles (105 km), while over
La Charité-sur-Loire
La Charité-sur-Loire (before 1961: ''La Charité'') is a commune in the Nièvre department and Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region of eastern France.
Geography
La Charité-sur-Loire lies on the right, eastern bank of the river Loire, about 25 km no ...
, the motor overheats due to poor water circulation and has to be stopped immediately, requiring the crew to land in poor conditions at Policards, in the commune of
Jussy-le-Chaudrier
Jussy-le-Chaudrier () is a commune in the Cher department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France.
Geography
An area of forestry and farming, comprising the village and several hamlets situated in the valley of the river Vauvise, some east o ...
. Some local farm workers who are present catch the guide ropes but are unable to prevent the gondola from impaling itself on an apple tree, which damages the airship’s keel and gondola in several places. With this damage and given the loss of a quantity of gas, it is decided not to risk the ''République'' suffering the same fate as the ''Patrie'' (which was lost when a storm blew up while she was moored in the open due to mechanical problems), but to deflate the gas-bag immediately. The gondola and keel are sent on to Lapalisse for repairs and the envelope returned for repairs to Chalais-Meudon.
;22 September :Capt.
Louis F. Ferber, (1862–1909), of the French Army, is killed when he drags a wing during a low-altitude turn in a
Voisin Voisin (French for "neighbour") may refer to:
Companies
*Avions Voisin, the French automobile company
:*Voisin Laboratoire, a car manufactured by Avions Voisin
*Voisin (aircraft), the French aircraft manufacturer
* Voisin, a Lyon-based chocolat ...
biplane at a flying meet at
Boulogne
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...
, France, overturning the machine.
[Jane, Fred T., "Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1913", Sampson, Low, Marston & Company, Ltd., London, 1913, Aerial Who's Who, page 3D.][New York City, New York, "Taft Sends Condolences", ''New York Times'', 22 May 1909.] "Capt. Ferber was pinned to the ground."
;25 September
:French Army airship ''
La République
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...
'' crashes over
Avrilly, Allier, killing its crew of four. It was caused by a broken propeller which sheared through the envelope causing rapid leakage. This crash marks the first military airship fatalities.
;31 October
:Lieut. Pietro Rovetti is killed when struck by an airship propeller during takeoff in Rome.
;5 November
:The
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
Wright Military Flyer, serial ''1'', piloted by Lieutenant
Frank P. Lahm
Frank Purdy Lahm (November 17, 1877 – July 7, 1963) was an American aviation pioneer, the "nation's first military aviator", and a general officer in the United States Army Air Corps and Army Air Forces.
Lahm developed an interest in flying f ...
with 2nd Lieutenant
Frederick E. Humphreys
Frederick Erastus Humphreys (September 16, 1883 – January 20, 1941) was one of the original three military pilots trained by the Wright brothers and the first to fly solo.
Biography
Frederick was born on September 16, 1883 in Summit, New Jerse ...
as passenger crashes into the ground at
College Park Airport,
Maryland
Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, while executing a sharp right turn. The aircraft had lost altitude due to engine misfiring and the aircrew had not taken account of their proximity to the ground when banking the aircraft to the right. Both officers were unhurt but the aircraft required repairs. The skids and the right wing had to be replaced.
1910
12 July
At the age of 32,
Charles Rolls
Charles Stewart Rolls (27 August 1877 – 12 July 1910) was a British motoring and aviation pioneer. With Henry Royce, he co-founded the Rolls-Royce car manufacturing firm. He was the first Briton to be killed in an aeronautical accident with ...
(of
Rolls-Royce fame) was killed in an air crash at
Hengistbury
Hengistbury Head (), formerly also called Christchurch, Dorset, Christchurch Head, is a headland jutting into the English Channel between Bournemouth and Mudeford in the English county of Dorset. It is a site of international importance in te ...
Airfield,
Southbourne,
Bournemouth
Bournemouth () is a coastal resort town in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole council area of Dorset, England. At the 2011 census, the town had a population of 183,491, making it the largest town in Dorset. It is situated on the Southern ...
when the tail of his
Wright Flyer
The ''Wright Flyer'' (also known as the ''Kitty Hawk'', ''Flyer'' I or the 1903 ''Flyer'') made the first sustained flight by a manned heavier-than-air powered and controlled aircraft—an airplane—on December 17, 1903. Invented and flown b ...
broke off during a flying display. He was the first Briton to be killed in an aeronautical accident with a powered aircraft, and the eleventh person internationally. His was also the first powered aviation fatality in the United Kingdom.
![Death of Charles Stewart Rolls - Illustrated London News 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Death_of_Charles_Stewart_Rolls_-_Illustrated_London_News_2.jpg)
;20 August :Lt. Marquis Vivaldi
(also quoted as Lt. Pasqua Vivaldi),
of the
Royal Italian Army
The Royal Italian Army ( it, Regio Esercito, , Royal Army) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manfre ...
, is killed at
Magliano, near
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, in a
Farman biplane. "In descending he lost control."
The 28 January 1911 issue of ''
Flight'' states that the "Motor stopped and machine was smashed; he was killed instantly."
![First air-plane collision 1910](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/First_air-plane_collision_1910.JPG)
;3 October: The first recorded collision between aircraft occurs at the Milano Circuito Aereo Internazionale meet held in
Milan
Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...
, Italy, when
René Thomas of France in an
Antoinette monoplane collides with Captain
Bertram Dickson
Captain Bertram Dickson RHA (21 December 1873 – 28 September 1913) was a pioneer Scottish airman and the first British serviceman to qualify as a pilot. His exploits in the air, watched by Winston Churchill and Lord Kitchener, indirec ...
of the British army, the first British serviceman to qualify as a pilot, in a
Farman biplane by ramming him in the rear. Both pilots survive but Dickson is so badly injured he never flies again.
;3 December
:The first multiple fatality airplane accident in history happened at
Centocelle, near
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
, when Lt.
Enrico Cammarota and Private S. Castellani became the 26th and 27th people to die in an aircraft crash.
[Henry Villard, ''Contact! The Story of the Early Aviators'' (Courier Dover Publications, 2002) p241; "The Fatalities of Flight", by Victor Lougheed, ''Popular Mechanics'' (August 1911) p173] Their
Farman biplane broke during a turn and they died in a military hospital.
;30 December :French aviator Lt. Jacques de Caumont, 28, is killed in the 50 hp prototype
Nieuport III monoplane, at
St. Cyr, this date,
when he suffers loss of control.
1911
;10 May
:First
U.S. Army pilot casualty, 2nd Lt.
George Edward Maurice Kelly
George Edward Maurice Kelly (11 December 1878 – 10 May 1911) was the 12th pilot of the U.S. Army's Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps and the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. He was ...
(1878–1911),
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
-born, and a
naturalized United States citizen
Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...
in 1902, is killed when he banks his
Curtiss Type IV (or
Curtiss Model D),
Army Signal Corps serial number ''2'', sharply to avoid plowing into an infantry encampment near the present site of
Fort Sam Houston,
Texas
Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
. The Aviation Camp (aka Remount Station) at Fort Sam Houston is renamed Camp Kelly, 11 June 1917, then
Kelly Field
Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting.
In ...
on 30 July 1917, and finally
Kelly AFB on 29 January 1948.
[Mueller, Robert, "Air Force Bases Volume 1: Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982", United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1989, , page 267.] Airframe rebuilt, finally grounded in February 1914, refurbished, and placed on display in the Smithsonian Institution National Air and Space Museum, Washington, D.C. Due to this crash, the commanding officer of Fort Sam Houston bans further training flights at the base, the flying facilities being moved to
College Park Airport,
College Park, Maryland in June–July 1911.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 49.] A replica of this airframe is preserved at the
National Museum of the United States Air Force.
;18 August
:The
Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.1
The S.E.1 (''Santos Experimental'') was an experimental aircraft built at the Army Balloon Factory at Farnborough (later the Royal Aircraft Factory) in 1911. Its place in aviation history is mainly that it was the first in the series of Royal Ai ...
crashes at
Farnborough Farnborough may refer to:
Australia
* Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone
United Kingdom
* Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England
** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...
, pilot Lt. Theodore J. Ridge killed. Despite being Assistant Superintendent at the Factory, Ridge was an inexperienced pilot who had only been awarded his pilot's certificate the day before, and was described as "an absolutely indifferent flyer". The combination of an unskilled pilot and a marginally controllable aircraft proved fatal: the S.E.1 stalled in a turn and spun in, killing Ridge.
;17 September
:Lieutenant
Reginald Archibald Cammell of the
British Air Battalion was killed at
Hendon
Hendon is an urban area in the Borough of Barnet, North-West London northwest of Charing Cross. Hendon was an ancient manor and parish in the county of Middlesex and a former borough, the Municipal Borough of Hendon; it has been part of Great ...
while conducting a trial flight of an
ASL Valkyrie
The ASL Valkyrie was a canard pusher configuration aircraft designed by the Aeronautical Syndicate Ltd in 1910. Examples were widely flown during 1911 and were used for instructional purposes at the ASL flying school, which was the first occup ...
Type B with his own engine fitted. The accident was not considered to be due to faults in the aircraft, but to have been caused by Cammell's lack of experience with the aircraft.
![HMA 1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1a/HMA_1_%22Mayfly%22_wreck_1.jpg)
;24 September :
His Majesty's Airship No. 1, intended as a scout for the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
, known as the "Mayfly", but designated ‘HMA ''Hermione''’ in public records because the naval contingent at
Barrow
Barrow may refer to:
Places
England
* Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria
** Borough of Barrow-in-Furness, local authority encompassing the wider area
** Barrow and Furness (UK Parliament constituency)
* Barrow, Cheshire
* Barrow, Gloucestershire
* Barro ...
were attached to
HMS ''Hermione'', a
cruiser
A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles.
The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several hu ...
moored locally preparing to act as its tender, breaks in two in high winds as it is being removed from its shed at
Cavendish Dock
Cavendish Dock is one of the four docks which make up the Port of Barrow in Barrow-in-Furness, England. Covering some it is roughly the size of Barrow's other three docks combined. It is named after William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire who ...
for full trials. The design is never flown.
;18 November
:First British seaplane to leave the water, and the first seaplane to take off from British waters, an
Avro Type D
The Avro Type D was an aircraft built in 1911 by the pioneer British aircraft designer A.V. Roe. Roe had previously built and flown several aircraft at Brooklands, most being tractor layout triplanes. The Type D was his first biplane.
Design
...
, the first of six of the type, piloted by
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
Commander
Oliver Schwann
Air Vice Marshal Sir Oliver Swann, (born Schwann; 18 November 1878 – 7 March 1948) was a British military commander who was a leading figure in the Royal Naval Air Service and senior commander in the Royal Air Force during the first half of the ...
, lifts off from
Cavendish Dock
Cavendish Dock is one of the four docks which make up the Port of Barrow in Barrow-in-Furness, England. Covering some it is roughly the size of Barrow's other three docks combined. It is named after William Cavendish, 7th Duke of Devonshire who ...
,
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. In 2023 the ...
, England, briefly, falls back into the water and is damaged.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 53.] His lack of training betrayed him, and the first take-off was not followed by the first successful landing. The Avro will be repaired.
1912
;24 May:Ten days after successfully demonstrating the third Jacob Goedecker-built
Fokker Spin
The Fokker ''Spin'' was the first airplane built by Dutch aviation pioneer Anthony Fokker. The many bracing wires used to strengthen the aircraft made it resemble a giant spider, hence its name ''Spin'', Dutch for "spider".
Fokker built the ''Spi ...
for an
Imperial German Army
The Imperial German Army (1871–1919), officially referred to as the German Army (german: Deutsches Heer), was the unified ground and air force of the German Empire. It was established in 1871 with the political unification of Germany under the l ...
delegation,
Anthony Fokker
Anton Herman Gerard "Anthony" Fokker (6 April 1890 – 23 December 1939) was a Dutch aviation pioneer, aviation entrepreneur, aircraft designer, and aircraft manufacturer. He produced fighter aircraft in Germany during the First World War such ...
crashes at the
Johannisthal aerodrome, near
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
,
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, falling about 40 feet
[Editors, "American Air Death Rate Is The Highest", ''Popular Mechanics Magazine'', Chicago, Illinois, July 1912, Volume 18, Number 1, page 169.] when a wing bracing-wire breaks. Fokker is not hurt but his passenger Lt. von Schlichting is killed. Due to this accident, the hard wire bracing of the design is changed to a stranded cable. The Fokker M.1 through M.4 are developed for the German army from the Spin ("Spider").
;1 June: Herr Buchstaetler and Lt. Stille of the German aviation corps are killed in a crash at
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
, Germany, this date.
;11 June
:Lieutenant
Leighton W. Hazelhurst Jr. (July 1887 – 11 June 1912) and
Arthur L. Welsh (14 August 1881 – 11 June 1912) are killed in crash of
Wright Model C
The Wright Model C "Speed Scout" was an early military aircraft produced in the United States and which first flew in 1912. It was a development of the Model B but was specifically designed to offer the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps a ...
,
U.S. Army Signal Corps
)
, colors = Orange and white
, colors_label = Corps colors
, march =
, mascot =
, equipment =
, equipment_label =
...
serial number ''4'', in
College Park, Maryland. Hazelhurst was the third U.S. army officer to die in an aeroplane crash.
Airframe had recently been purchased by the
Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps
The Aeronautical Division, Signal Corps, Appendix 2 (1907–1914) was the first heavier-than-air military aviation organization in history and the progenitor of the United States Air Force. A component of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, the Aeronaut ...
. The
United States Army Signal Corps had established a series of tests for the aircraft, and Welsh and Hazelhurst were taking the Model C on a climbing test, one of the last in the series required by the Army. Shortly after takeoff, the aircraft pitched over while making a turn and fell to the ground, killing both crew members. They had both been ejected from their seats, with Welsh suffering a crushed skull and Hazelhurst a
broken neck.
''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' described Welsh as "one of the most daring professional aviators in America" and his flying partner Hazelhurst as being among the "most promising of the younger aviators of the army".
A board of officers was formed by the
United States Secretary of War
The secretary of war was a member of the President of the United States, U.S. president's United States Cabinet, Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's Presidency of George Washington, administration. A similar position, called either "Se ...
Henry Lewis Stimson
Henry Lewis Stimson (September 21, 1867 – October 20, 1950) was an American statesman, lawyer, and Republican Party politician. Over his long career, he emerged as a leading figure in U.S. foreign policy by serving in both Republican and De ...
, which concluded that Welsh was at fault in the crash, having risen to 150 feet, with the plan to dive at a 45-degree angle in order to gain momentum for a climb, but had made the dive too soon, with the board's results reported in 29 June 1912 issue of ''
Scientific American
''Scientific American'', informally abbreviated ''SciAm'' or sometimes ''SA'', is an American popular science magazine. Many famous scientists, including Albert Einstein and Nikola Tesla, have contributed articles to it. In print since 1845, it i ...
''. In a 2003 interview, a cousin of Welsh's reported the family's belief that the tests were run too rapidly and that Welsh was doomed to fail by carrying too much fuel and a passenger, giving a craft that would be unable to make the planned maneuver with the weight it was carrying.
[Thum, Robert]
"The first Jewish aviator"
''The Dayton Jewish Observer'', 2003. Retrieved 5 August 2009. Hazelhurst Field, at
Mineola, New York, a major
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
training facility, is named for the aviator.
[Editors, "How Aviation Fields Were Named", ''Air Service Journal'', Gardner, Moffat Co., Inc., New York, New York, 25 October 1917, Volume I, Number 16, page 503.]
;19 June
:Capt. Marcel Dubois and Lt. Albert Peignan of the French Army are killed near
Douai when their planes collide in mid-air, the first fatal mid-air collision in history. Unable to see each other in early morning haze, while making circuits over the airfield,
their two biplanes impacted and the wire stays and canvas wings became interlocked, the two planes coming down together. Peignan dies on striking the ground and Dubois expires within the hour.
;26 June
:2nd Lt.
Henry H. Arnold
Henry Harley Arnold (June 25, 1886 – January 15, 1950) was an American general officer holding the ranks of General of the Army and later, General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps (1938–1941), ...
, holder of
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
The (; FAI; en, World Air Sports Federation) is the world governing body for air sports, and also stewards definitions regarding human spaceflight. It was founded on 14 October 1905, and is headquartered in Lausanne, Switzerland. It maintai ...
(FAI) pilot certificate No. 29 and Military Aviator Certificate No. 2, after accepting the Army's first tractor airplane,
Burgess Model H __NOTOC__
The Burgess Model H was an early United States airplane and one of the first air machines specifically designed and built for military use.
History
Classified as the "Model H military tractor", it was developed and built in 1912 by Burg ...
, Signal Corps ''9'', crashes into
Plymouth Bay,
after takeoff, receiving the scar on his chin that he shows distinctively for the rest of his life.
;5 July
:
Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, decorations ...
(RFC) Captain
Eustace Loraine
Eustace Broke Loraine (3 September 1879 – 5 July 1912) was a pioneer British aviator and the first Royal Flying Corps officer to be killed in an aircraft crash.
Eustace Loraine was the first child of Rear-Admiral Sir Lambton Loraine, 11th ...
and his observer
Staff Sergeant
Staff sergeant is a rank of non-commissioned officer used in the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services.
History of title
In origin, certain senior sergeants were assigned to administrative, supervi ...
Richard H V Wilson were flying a
Nieuport monoplane out of
Larkhill,
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
, England on a routine training flight. They were executing a tight turn when the aircraft fell towards the ground and crashed. Wilson was killed outright and although Loraine was speedily transported to
Bulford Hospital
Bulford is a village and civil parish in Wiltshire, England, close to Salisbury Plain. The village is close to Durrington and about north of the town of Amesbury. The Bulford Camp army base is separate from the village but within the parish. ...
in a horse-drawn ambulance, he died of his injuries only a few minutes after arriving at the hospital. Loraine and Wilson were the first Flying Corps personnel to die in an aircraft crash while on duty. Later in the day an order was issued which stated "Flying will continue this evening as usual", thus beginning a British military aviation tradition.
;31 July
:An attempt by the
U.S. Navy to catapult launch the Navy's first seaplane, a
Curtiss A-3 (AH-3) pusher, at the
Washington Navy Yard
The Washington Navy Yard (WNY) is the former shipyard and ordnance plant of the United States Navy in Southeast Washington, D.C. It is the oldest shore establishment of the U.S. Navy.
The Yard currently serves as a ceremonial and administrativ ...
, Washington, D.C., fails when a crosswind catches the aircraft halfway along the catapult and tosses it into the
Anacostia River
The Anacostia River is a river in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States. It flows from Prince George's County in Maryland into Washington, D.C., where it joins with the Washington Channel to empty into the Potomac River at Buzzard Point. ...
. Pilot uninjured.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 58.] A different source lists the location of the launch attempt as
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
, the aircraft as the
Curtiss A-1 (AH-1), and the pilot as Lt.
Theodore G. Ellyson, noting that the catapult was powered by compressed air, was fabricated by the
Naval Gun Factory
A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and related functions. It inc ...
at the Washington Navy Yard from a design by Capt. Washington I. Chambers, and that the aircraft, not being secured to the catapult, reared up at mid-stroke where it was caught by the crosswind. This account, from an official U.S. Navy history, may be the more credible of the two versions. An accompanying photo (No. 650864) dated July 1912 showing the ''A-1'' on the catapult at
Annapolis
Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
supports the latter description. The first successful launch was accomplished on 12 November 1912 at the Washington Navy Yard by Ellyson in the ''A-3'', according to this source, possibly accounting for the confusion.
;13 August
:During air-ground maneuvers held by the U.S. Army, at
Stratford, Connecticut
Stratford is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. It is situated on Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Housatonic River. Stratford is in the Bridgeport–Stamford–Norwalk Metropolitan Statistical Area. It was settled ...
, Pvt.
Beckwith Havens of the 1st Company, Signal Corps,
New York National Guard
The New York State Division of Military and Naval Affairs (NYS DMNA) is responsible for the state's New York Army National Guard, New York Air National Guard, New York Guard and the New York Naval Militia. It is headed by Adjutant General of New ...
, suffers engine failure in a Curtiss biplane at about 1000 ft (300 m) over a crowded parade ground, narrowly misses spectators and a cavalry troop as he swoops down, glides down the field and collides with a Burgess-Wright biplane that had just been flown by Lt.
Benjamin Foulois, breaking off its tail. No injuries reported, and both aircraft are taken to hangars for repair. Havens, a pilot employed by pioneer aircraft builder
Glenn H. Curtiss
Glenn Hammond Curtiss (May 21, 1878 – July 23, 1930) was an American aviation and motorcycling pioneer, and a founder of the U.S. aircraft industry. He began his career as a bicycle racer and builder before moving on to motorcycles. As early a ...
, had enlisted in the New York National Guard as a private in June 1912. At the National Guard manoeuvers with the Army, he flew an aircraft that his employer had loaned him.
;6 September
:Capt. Patrick Hamilton and Lt. Wyness-Stuart of the
Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, decorations ...
are killed when their
Deperdussin monoplane breaks up in flight, crashing at
Graveley, near
Welwyn. The
Anzani-powered aircraft had been taken on strength by the army in January 1912.
;10 September
: Lts. E. Hotchkiss and C. A. Bettington are killed when their
Bristol-Coanda monoplane
The Bristol Coanda Monoplanes were a series of monoplane trainers designed by the Romanian designer Henri Coandă for the British company British and Colonial Aeroplane Company.
Several versions of the plane were built from 1912 onwards with ...
suffers a structural failure and crashes. This second accident involving a Royal Flying Corps monoplane in five days causes
Col. Seely, Secretary of State for War, to issue a ban on monoplanes on 14 September. The ban will be reversed five months later when technical studies show that monoplanes are no more dangerous than biplanes.
![Pw21-1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/Pw21-1.jpg)
;28 September
:
Wright Model B
The Wright Model B was an early pusher biplane designed by the Wright brothers in the United States in 1910. It was the first of their designs to be built in quantity. Unlike the Model A, it featured a true elevator carried at the tail rat ...
, U.S. Army Signal Corps serial number ''4'', crashes at
College Park Airport, Maryland, killing two crew, Lieutenant L. C. Rockwell and Corporal
Frank S. Scott. On 20 July 1917, the Signal Corps Aviation School is named
Rockwell Field
Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California.
This airfield ...
in honor of 2nd Lt. Lewis C. Rockwell, killed in this crash, and
Scott Field, Illinois is named for the first enlisted personnel killed in an aviation crash. Scott Air Force Base remains the only U.S. Air Force base named for an enlisted man.
1913
;February
:
Vickers E.F.B. 1 Destroyer (Experimental Fighting Biplane), the first of the Gunbus series of designs, contracted for in early 1913 by the Admiralty shortly after creation of the Naval Wing of the
Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, decorations ...
in 1912, a pusher design, completed and displayed at the 1913 Olympia Aero Show, crashes soon afterwards, possibly on its first flight. No production ordered.
[Mason, Francis K., "The British Fighter since 1912", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1992, Library of Congress card number 92-63026, , pages 15–16.]
;8 February
:Russian pilot N. de Sackoff becomes the first pilot shot down in combat when his biplane, possibly a
Maurice Farman MF.7, is hit by ground fire following bomb run on the walls of Fort
Bizani
Bizani ( el, Μπιζάνι) is a village and a former municipality in the Ioannina regional unit, Epirus, Greece. Since the 2011 local government reform it is part of the municipality Ioannina, of which it is a municipal unit. The municipal unit ...
during the
First Balkan War
The First Balkan War ( sr, Први балкански рат, ''Prvi balkanski rat''; bg, Балканска война; el, Αʹ Βαλκανικός πόλεμος; tr, Birinci Balkan Savaşı) lasted from October 1912 to May 1913 and invo ...
. Flying for the
Royal Greek Army, he comes down near small town of
Preveza
Preveza ( el, Πρέβεζα, ) is a city in the region of Epirus, northwestern Greece, located on the northern peninsula at the mouth of the Ambracian Gulf. It is the capital of the regional unit of Preveza, which is part of the region of Epiru ...
, on the coast N of the
Aegean island of
Lefkada, secures local Greek assistance, repairs aircraft and resumes flight back to base.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 61.]
;March
:
Royal Aircraft Factory B.S.1
The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.2 (Scout Experimental) was an early British single-seat scout aircraft. Designed and built at the Royal Aircraft Factory in 1912–13 as the B.S.1, the prototype was rebuilt several times before serving with the ...
(c.f. Blériot Scout, indicating a tractor aeroplane), the first aircraft in the world designed and built from the start as a single-engine, single-seat fighting scout, first flown in March 1913 by
Geoffrey de Havilland, crashes later that same month from a flat spin, pilot suffering a broken jaw. Repaired and modified, but no production ordered.
[Mason, Francis K., "The British Fighter since 1912", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1992, Library of Congress card number 92-63026, , page 14.] Rebuilt as the B.S.2, then redesignated S.E.2 (Scout Experimental), and with enlarged vertical tail surfaces as the S.E.2A, and given serial ''609'', but still no production ordered.
[Mason, Francis K., "The British Fighter since 1912", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1992, Library of Congress card number 92-63026, , pages 21–22.]
;8 April
:Lieutenants Rex Chandler and
Lewis H. Brereton
Lewis Hyde Brereton (June 21, 1890 – July 20, 1967) was a military aviation pioneer and lieutenant general in the United States Air Force. A 1911 graduate of the United States Naval Academy, he began his military career as a United States Army o ...
on training flight from
North Island
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...
,
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
, in
Curtiss Model F
The Curtiss Models F made up a family of early flying boats developed in the United States in the years leading up to World War I. Widely produced, Model Fs saw service with the United States Navy under the designations C-2 through C-5, later r ...
flying boat
A flying boat is a type of fixed-winged seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in that a flying boat's fuselage is purpose-designed for floatation and contains a hull, while floatplanes rely on fusela ...
, Signal Corps ''15'', with Brereton as pilot, crashes and Chandler is knocked unconscious and drowns. This was Chandler's first, and only, flight.
[Peck, Wallace R., "Forgotten Air Pioneers: The Army's Rockwell Field at North Island", ''The Journal of San Diego History'', Fall 2006, Volume 52, Numbers 3-4, page 107.] Chandler, of the
Coast Artillery Corps, had reported for aeronautical duty at the Signal Corps Aviation School on 15 March 1913.
Chandler Field
Alexandria Municipal Airport , also known as Chandler Field, is a city-owned public-use airport located two nautical miles (3.7 km) southwest of the central business district of Alexandria, Minnesota, Alexandria, a city in Douglas County, Min ...
at
Essington, Pennsylvania, opened in 1917, is named for the late pilot.
;17 April :The French military balloon
Zodiac
The zodiac is a belt-shaped region of the sky that extends approximately 8° north or south (as measured in celestial latitude) of the ecliptic, the Sun path, apparent path of the Sun across the celestial sphere over the course of the year. ...
collapses in flight over
Noisy-le-Grand, France, killing five.
[Langland, James, M. A., compiler, "Almanac and Year-Book for 1914", The Chicago Daily News Company, Chicago, Illinois, 1913, page 396.]
;9 May: "By
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
to THE SUN
KOENIGSBURG, Germany, May 9. - A German military spherical balloon, the "Cassiopeia," which ascended from this city on Wednesday, is missing with its passengers. It was last seen in the neighborhood of
Pillau, about 35 miles from here, traversing the
Frischen Ehrung 'sic''peninsula in a storm." "It was under the command of Captain Von Wobeser of the second balloon battalion, stationed here."
;9 May: "By
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
to THE SUN
LOS ANGELES
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, May 9. - Within 40 miles of his goal Lieutenant Joseph D. Park, the army aviator, flying from
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
to Los Angeles, met death at
Olive
The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'', meaning 'European olive' in Latin, is a species of small tree or shrub in the family Oleaceae, found traditionally in the Mediterranean Basin. When in shrub form, it is known as ''Olea europaea'' ...
, nine miles north of
Santa Ana, this morning. He had lost his way in a mist a short time before and had landed. He soon recovered his bearings, and attempted to reascend, but the machine plunged against a tree and turned over, the engine crushing the head of the aviator. Little girls on their way to school were among the horrified spectators of the tragedy. Park was recently transferred from the
fourteenth cavalry to the army aviation corps at San Diego." Park (1882–1913) was assigned to the
1st Aero Squadron
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
.
Park Field
Naval Support Activity Mid-South (NSA Mid-South, NAVSUPPACT Mid-South, NSAMS), in Millington, Tennessee, is a base of the United States Navy. A part of the Navy Region Southeast and the Navy Installations Command, NSA Mid-South serves as the Navy ...
at
Memphis, Tennessee, is named for him.
;27 May
:Lieutenant
Desmond Arthur
Lieutenant Desmond Arthur (1884–1913) was an Irish aviator in No. 2 Squadron of the Royal Flying Corps. Following his death in Scotland's first fatal aircraft accident; a government inquiry was launched to investigate the circumstances surrou ...
died when his
Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2
The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2 was a British single-engine tractor two-seat biplane designed and developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. Most of the roughly 3,500 built were constructed under contract by private companies, including establish ...
biplane, ''205'', collapsed without warning while flying over
Montrose. This was
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
's first fatal aircraft accident.
;20 June:First fatality in U.S. Naval aviation occurs when flight instructor Ens.
W.D. Billingsley, flying from the aviation encampment at Greenbury Point, Maryland, is thrown from pilot seat of the second
Wright CH seaplane, ''B-2'', at height of 1,600 feet in turbulent air over
Annapolis, Maryland
Annapolis ( ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Maryland and the county seat of, and only incorporated city in, Anne Arundel County. Situated on the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Severn River, south of Baltimore and about east o ...
. Passenger Lt.
John Henry Towers stays with airplane, sustaining injuries when it hits water. Design was modified conversion of
Wright Model B
The Wright Model B was an early pusher biplane designed by the Wright brothers in the United States in 1910. It was the first of their designs to be built in quantity. Unlike the Model A, it featured a true elevator carried at the tail rat ...
with two pusher propellers driven through chains connected to a Wright engine.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 62.] Billingsley was Naval Aviator Number 9.
;23 June
:The ''S-21
Sikorsky Russky Vityaz
The Sikorsky Russky Vityaz (russian: link=no, Русский витязь), or Russian Knight (S-21), previously known as the Bolshoi Baltisky (russian: link=no, Большой Балтийский) ''(The Great Baltic)'' in its first four-eng ...
'' ("Russian Knight"), designed by
Igor Sikorsky
Igor Ivanovich Sikorsky (russian: И́горь Ива́нович Сико́рский, p=ˈiɡərʲ ɪˈvanəvitʃ sʲɪˈkorskʲɪj, a=Ru-Igor Sikorsky.ogg, tr. ''Ígor' Ivánovich Sikórskiy''; May 25, 1889 – October 26, 1972)Fortie ...
and built by the
RBVZ, a redesigned variant of the
Bolshoi Baltiski, as the first large aircraft intended exclusively as a bomber, first flies on this date, the world's first four-motored aircraft. It is lost in a freak accident during 1913 military trials when the Gnôme rotary on a
Moller II pusher biplane (some sources cite a
Morane design) tears loose and hits the giant bomber.
;17 July
:Major Alexander William Hewetson of the 66th Battery Royal Field Artillery was killed flying near
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connectin ...
in
Wiltshire
Wiltshire (; abbreviated Wilts) is a historic and ceremonial county in South West England with an area of . It is landlocked and borders the counties of Dorset to the southwest, Somerset to the west, Hampshire to the southeast, Gloucestershire ...
. A stone memorial was erected near the spot. This can be seen by the road between the
Stonehenge
Stonehenge is a prehistoric monument on Salisbury Plain in Wiltshire, England, west of Amesbury. It consists of an outer ring of vertical sarsen standing stones, each around high, wide, and weighing around 25 tons, topped by connectin ...
visitors' centre and the monument by the Fargo Wood.
;4 September
:U.S. Army
11th Cavalry 1st Lt. Moss Lee Love becomes the 10th fatality in U.S. army aviation history when his
Wright Model C
The Wright Model C "Speed Scout" was an early military aircraft produced in the United States and which first flew in 1912. It was a development of the Model B but was specifically designed to offer the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps a ...
biplane crashes
near
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
during practice for his Military Aviator Test. On 19 October 1917, the newly-opened
Dallas Love Field
Dallas Love Field is a city-owned public airport northwest of downtown Dallas, Texas., effective April 10, 2008 It was Dallas' main airport until 1974 when Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) opened. Love Field covers an area of a ...
in
Dallas, Texas
Dallas () is the third largest city in Texas and the largest city in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex, the fourth-largest metropolitan area in the United States at 7.5 million people. It is the largest city in and seat of Dallas County w ...
is named in his honor. Joe Baugher lists the fatal aircraft accident for this date as being
Burgess Model J, Signal Corps ''18'', which dove into the ground killing its pilot.
;9 September
:
Imperial German Navy
The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...
,
''L 1'', LZ14, pushed down into the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
off
Helgoland
Heligoland (; german: Helgoland, ; Heligolandic Frisian: , , Mooring Frisian: , da, Helgoland) is a small archipelago in the North Sea. A part of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein since 1890, the islands were historically possessions ...
in a thunderstorm, drowning 14 crew members. This was the first Zeppelin incident in which fatalities occurred. Seven crew rescued by motor torpedo boats.
;13 October
:
Imperial German Air Force-Lt. Koening killed in crash near
Neuendorf Aerodrome near
Berlin
Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...
. Lts Soren and Rohstadt are injured while taking a flight between Berlin and
Stuttgart
Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...
![Crash Zeppelin LZ18 (LII)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/24/Crash_Zeppelin_LZ18_%28LII%29.jpg)
;17 October
: Imperial German Navy
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...
''L 2'', LZ18, destroyed by an exploding engine during a test flight – the entire crew of 28 was killed.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 63.]
;14 November :
Wright Model C
The Wright Model C "Speed Scout" was an early military aircraft produced in the United States and which first flew in 1912. It was a development of the Model B but was specifically designed to offer the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps a ...
, Signal Corps ''12'', stalls and crashes into
Manila Bay
Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phili ...
, the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
, killing the pilot. One source identifies him as Loren Call,
while another gives his name as Lt. Perry Rich.
The ''Almanac and Year-Book for 1914'' gives his name as Lt. C. Perry Rich.
;24 November
: Lieuts. Eric Lamar Ellington, chief instructor,
and Hugh M. Kelly of the
1st Aero Squadron
First or 1st is the ordinal form of the number one (#1).
First or 1st may also refer to:
*World record, specifically the first instance of a particular achievement
Arts and media Music
* 1$T, American rapper, singer-songwriter, DJ, and reco ...
,
United States Army Aviation Corps, are killed this date in a fall of about eighty feet in a
Wright Model C
The Wright Model C "Speed Scout" was an early military aircraft produced in the United States and which first flew in 1912. It was a development of the Model B but was specifically designed to offer the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps a ...
, Signal Corps ''14''. The accident occurred at ~0758 hrs. across the bay from
San Diego, California
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...
on the grounds of the army school on
North Island
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...
. On impact, the engine broke free, crushing the two aviators.
These were the eleventh and twelfth Army aviation casualties. "The front page of the ''
San Diego Union
''The San Diego Union-Tribune'' is a metropolitan daily newspaper published in San Diego, California, that has run since 1868.
Its name derives from a 1992 merger between the two major daily newspapers at the time, ''The San Diego Union'' and ...
'' was devoted to the details of the Ellington/Kelly crash, under the headline 'Intrepid Navigators of Air Crushed, Mangled to Death in Fall of Government Biplane,' with charges that the aviators were 'slaughtered' by a parsimonious government using antiquated machines."
Ellington Field, Texas, which opens on 1 November 1917, is named for Lt. Ellington.
;7 December
:A
Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.2a, ''235'', flown by factory test pilot Lt.
Norman Spratt crashed at the
Farnborough Farnborough may refer to:
Australia
* Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone
United Kingdom
* Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England
** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...
Aerodrome, pilot surviving.
[Cooper, Peter J., "Picking up the Pieces", ''Air International'', Stamford, Lincs., UK, November 1998, Volume 55, Number 5, page 280.]
1914
;9 February
:U.S. Army Lt.
Henry Post
Henry Burnet Post (June 15, 1885 – February 9, 1914) was a first lieutenant in the US Army and a pioneer aviator who was killed in a crash. He set the altitude record of .
He was the son of Colonel Henry Albertson Van Zo Post and Caroline Bur ...
exceeds his previous altitude records by reaching 12,140 feet. During descent, the
Wright Model C
The Wright Model C "Speed Scout" was an early military aircraft produced in the United States and which first flew in 1912. It was a development of the Model B but was specifically designed to offer the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps a ...
, Signal Corps ''10'', aircraft sustained damage (wing collapsed) and crashed into
San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port located in San Diego County, California near the U.S.–Mexico border. The bay, which is long and wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's of c ...
,
killing Lt. Post. On 24 February, due to a large number of accidents and deaths, an Army board at the Signal Corps, Aviation School, San Diego, condemned all pusher airplanes. This recommendation basically condemned all Wright aircraft, which were all pushers.
Post Field
Henry Post Army Airfield is a military use airport located at Fort Sill in Comanche County, Oklahoma, United States. This military airport is owned by United States Army. Established as Post Field in 1917, it was one of thirty-two Air Service t ...
is established at
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost .
The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...
, Oklahoma, named for the aeronaut.
;16 February :Lieutenant (jg) James M. Murray, Naval Aviator No. 10, on a flight at
Pensacola,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, in the
Burgess D-1 flying boat, crashes to the water from 200 feet and is drowned.
This was the first flying fatality at Pensacola and it came only two weeks after flight operations began there. Flights were suspended for two days out of respect for the lost aviator. Of the first ten Naval aviators, half would die in crashes.
;9 March:Lieutenant
Alejandro Bello Silva was a
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
an
aviator
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its Aircraft flight control system, directional flight controls. Some other aircrew, aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are al ...
who
disappeared during his qualifying flight for certification as a military pilot. In the pre-dawn hours, this date, Lieutenant Silva was in the
Lo Espejo aerodrome, where he was to take an examination to earn the designation Military Pilot. Bello and two companions had to complete the circuit from Lo Espejo to
Culitrín, to
Cartagena, and back to
Lo Espejo, in the central region of
Chile
Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...
, in order to pass the exam. On the first attempt, the aviators had to return to base due to near-zero visibility caused by heavy
fog
Fog is a visible aerosol consisting of tiny water droplets or ice crystals suspended in the air at or near the Earth's surface. Reprint from Fog can be considered a type of low-lying cloud usually resembling stratus, and is heavily influ ...
. Bello damaged his aircraft during the landing, and switched to an
Sánchez-Besa biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
(tail number ''13'', nicknamed "Manuel Rodríguez") for the second attempt. He took off together with one companion and the instructor, who had to make an emergency landing for refueling. Nevertheless, Bello continued his route and was lost among the clouds. He was never seen again and many searches over time have failed to find any trace of him or his aircraft.
;12 May
or 25 May
:First fatal mid-air between two machines of the
Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, decorations ...
kills Capt. Ernest Vincent Anderson and his passenger Air Mechanic Henry Wifred Carter when their
Sopwith Tractor Biplane, ''324'', was accidentally rammed by Lt. C. W. Wilson in another Sopwith, ''325'', of the same type. Wilson was returning from
Brooklands
Brooklands was a motor racing circuit and aerodrome built near Weybridge in Surrey, England, United Kingdom. It opened in 1907 and was the world's first purpose-built 'banked' motor racing circuit as well as one of Britain's first airfields, ...
and descending to land at
Farnborough Farnborough may refer to:
Australia
* Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone
United Kingdom
* Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England
** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...
when he struck the other plane, which was climbing away from the aerodrome on a familiarization flight. Wilson escapes with bruises and a broken jaw. Both planes crash on the nearby Aldershot Golf Course 10th Green. Both machines and all three airmen were from
No. 5 Squadron, RFC.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 67.]
;4 June
:First fatal British seaplane accident kills Lt. T. S. Cresswell and Cmdr. A. Rice of the
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
. While ascending from the
Calshot Air Station, the
Short S.128 they are flying passes over motorboat on
Southampton Water
Southampton Water is a tidal estuary north of the Solent and the Isle of Wight in England. The city of Southampton lies at its most northerly point, where the estuaries of the River Test and River Itchen meet. Along its salt marsh-fringed wes ...
where Short's test pilot Gordon Bell and Lt. Spencer Grey are watching flight. At height of just over 200 feet, seaplane appears to break up and plummets into sea, killing both occupants. Some witnesses say that they believed that the seaplane stalled and that the wings folded up as structural limits were exceeded.
;20 June
:While the
Austro-Hungarian
Austria-Hungary, often referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire,, the Dual Monarchy, or Austria, was a constitutional monarchy and great power in Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. It was formed with the Austro-Hungarian Compromise of ...
airship
An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air.
In early ...
''
Militärluftschiff III'' (or ''M.III'') hovers over
Fischamend testing new camera equipment, an
Austro-Hungarian Army pilot tries to loop ''M.III'' in a
Farman biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
. The airplane strikes the top of the airship, tearing a hole and igniting the escaping
hydrogen gas. Both aircraft are destroyed, and both men in the airplane and all seven men aboard ''M.III'' are killed. It is the end of the Austro-Hungarian airship program.
;26 June
:The prototype
Bristol S.S.A. (for Single-Seat Armoured), c.n. 219, a
Henri Coanda
Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry (given name), Henry.
People with this given name
; French noblemen
:'' See the 'List_of_rulers_named_Henry#France, List of rulers named Henry ...
single-seat tractor biplane design intended for production France, crashes on landing at
Filton when an
undercarriage
Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include:
*The landing gear of an aircraft.
*The ch ...
bracing wire fails. Pilot Harry Busteed slightly injured, but airframe is severely damaged. The French authorities however agree to accept delivery of the type at the
Breguet factory, where it is rebuilt, and Bristol takes no further part in its development.
;27 June
:During a training exercise close to the
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
-
Luxembourg
Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...
border, Lt. Felix Liedel became the first
Belgian Armed Forces
The Belgian Defense Forces ( nl, Defensie; french: La Défense) is the national military of Belgium. The King of the Belgians is the commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces. The Belgian Armed Forces was established after Belgium became indepen ...
aviation casualty. While piloting a Jero-Farman biplane, one of the tension cables became entangled in the propeller, resulting in his crash near
Martelange. Liedel was mortally wounded, and died in a military hospital just after midnight the following day.
;9 July
:During an attempted take-off from
Kiewit Airfield,
Belgian Army lieutenants Raymond Hubert and Lucien Poot were involved in an air crash. When the wheels of their Jero-Farman biplane left the ground, the aircraft sharply turned to the right and crashed into a hangar at high speed. While Poot escaped with minor injuries, Hubert was mortally wounded, dying the following day.
;26 July
:Seventh aircraft erected at
Tokorozawa Airfield, Japan, the
Kaishiki Converted Type Mo (Maurice Farman Type), ''7'', crashed at this airfield while piloted by Capt.
Yoshitoshi Tokugawa
200px, Lieutenant General Baron Tokugawa Yoshitoshi
Baron was a lieutenant general in the Imperial Japanese Army and one of the pioneers of military aviation in Japan. He is credited with having made the first flight in a powered aircraft in Ja ...
. When rebuilt, with completion on 19 January 1915, this 7th Type Mo 1913 became known as the
Sawada Type No. 7, or more officially because of radical modifications, as the Kaishiki the 3rd Year Model.
[Mikesh, Robert C., and Abe, Shorzoe, "Japanese Aircraft 1910–1941", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1990, , pages 49–50.]
;12 August
:Sole
Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.4
The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.4 was a single-engined, single seat biplane designed and built at the Royal Aircraft Factory just prior to the start of the First World War. Intended to be as fast as possible, it recorded a speed of 135 mph ...
, ''
628
__NOTOC__
Year 628 ( DCXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. The denomination 628 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era ...
'', crashlands at 1145 hrs. while being flown by Lt.
Norman Spratt when one of the wheels collapsed, airframe overturning, sustaining such extensive damage that it is abandoned.
;8 September
:
Imperial Russian Army
The Imperial Russian Army (russian: Ру́сская импера́торская а́рмия, tr. ) was the armed land force of the Russian Empire, active from around 1721 to the Russian Revolution of 1917. In the early 1850s, the Russian Ar ...
pilot
Pyotr Nesterov
Pyotr Nikolayevich Nesterov (russian: Пётр Николаевич Нестеров ( – ) was a Russian pilot, an aircraft designer and an aerobatics pioneer.
Life and career
Nesterov was born on 15 February 1887 in Nizhny Novgorod, into ...
attempted an
aerial ramming
Aerial ramming or air ramming is the ramming of one aircraft with another. It is a last-ditch tactic in air combat, sometimes used when all else has failed. Long before the invention of aircraft, ramming tactics in naval warfare and ground warfare ...
against an Austro-Hungarian reconnaissance
Albatros B.II with his
Morane-Saulnier. He most likely tried to hit it with his
landing gear
Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for takeoff or landing. For aircraft it is generally needed for both. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, such as the Glenn L. Martin ...
but accidentally used his propeller instead. As a result, both planes crashed killing Nesterov and the two in the opposing aircraft over
Zhovkva,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
.
;5 October
:First aerial combat kill in history recorded when a
Voisin III
The Voisin III was a French World War I two-seat pusher biplane multi-purpose aircraft developed by Voisin in 1914 as a more powerful version of the 1912 Voisin I. It is notable for being the aircraft used for the first successful shooting down ...
pusher of Escadrille VB24,
French Air Service
The French Air and Space Force (AAE) (french: Armée de l'air et de l'espace, ) is the air and space force of the French Armed Forces. It was the first military aviation force in history, formed in 1909 as the , a service arm of the French Army ...
, flown by Sgt. Joseph Frantz and Cpl. Louis Quénault, downed a German two-seater
Aviatik B.II ''Note:'' Not to be confused with the Austro-Hungarian Aviatik B.II series 32, 32.7 and 34 which were different aircraft.
The Aviatik B.II was a reconnaissance aircraft built in Germany during World War I.
Design and development
The (German) Av ...
, ''114/14'', of FFA 18, flown by ''Feldwebel'' Willhelm Schlichting with ''Oberleutnant'' Fritz von Zangen as observer,
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 72.] over
Jonchery
Jonchery () is a commune in the Haute-Marne department in north-eastern France.
See also
*Communes of the Haute-Marne department
The following is a list of the 426 communes in the French department of Haute-Marne.
The communes cooperate in th ...
,
Reims
Reims ( , , ; also spelled Rheims in English) is the most populous city in the French department of Marne, and the 12th most populous city in France. The city lies northeast of Paris on the Vesle river, a tributary of the Aisne.
Founded by ...
, using what is believed to have been a
Hotchkiss machine gun
The Hotchkiss machine gun was any of a line of products developed and sold by Hotchkiss et Cie, (full name Société Anonyme des Anciens Etablissements Hotchkiss et Cie), established by United States gunsmith Benjamin B. Hotchkiss. Hotchkiss moved ...
.
1915
;6 March
:First fatal accident involving
Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
The was the Naval aviation, air arm of the Imperial Japanese Navy (IJN). The organization was responsible for the operation of naval aircraft and the conduct of aerial warfare in the Pacific War.
The Japanese military acquired their first air ...
aviators occurs when
Yokosho Navy Type Mo Large Seaplane (Maurice Farman 1914 Seaplane), serial number ''15'', crashed at sea with Sub-Lieuts. Tozaburo Adachi and Takao Takerube, and W/O 3/c Hisanojo Yanase on board, all KWF.
[Mikesh, Robert C., and Abe, Shorzoe, "Japanese Aircraft 1910–1941", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1990, , page 265.]
;1 May
:Air Mechanic William Thomas James McCudden of the
Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, decorations ...
the elder brother of
James McCudden
James Thomas Byford McCudden, (28 March 1895 – 9 July 1918) was a British flying ace of the First World War and among the most highly decorated airmen in British military history.
Born in 1895 to a middle class family with military traditions ...
VC died when his Bleriot had engine trouble and crashed on 1 May 1915 at Fort Grange, Gosport.
;8 May
:Lieutenant (jg) Melvin L. Stolz, student aviator, is killed in a crash of the AH-9 hydroaeroplane at
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
.
;3 August:The German Main Headquarters ''communique'' released in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
this date, and reported by ''
Reuters
Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world.
The agency was estab ...
'', states that "A French captive balloon, which was torn from its anchorage during a thunderstorm, was caught by us north-west of
Etain
Etain (also Étain, Étáin) can refer to:
* Étaín, a character from Irish mythology
* the fairy princess in Rutland Boughton's opera ''The Immortal Hour''
* the fairy princess in the play The Immortal Hour (play)
* Étain, France, a commune in ...
."
;12 September
:A
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...
Short S.38
The Short S.38 was an early British aircraft built by Short Brothers.
Design and development
The Short S.38 was originally a Short S.27 with the manufacturer's number S.38. After an accident when hoisting this aircraft aboard the remains were r ...
, ''65'', and a
Caudron G.III
The Caudron G.3 was a single-engined French sesquiplane built by Caudron, widely used in World War I as a reconnaissance aircraft and trainer.
Development
The Caudron G.3 was designed by René and Gaston Caudron as a development of their earlie ...
, ''3282'', collide at Eastchurch, both pilots killed.
;17 November
:
Imperial German Navy
The Imperial German Navy or the Imperial Navy () was the navy of the German Empire, which existed between 1871 and 1919. It grew out of the small Prussian Navy (from 1867 the North German Federal Navy), which was mainly for coast defence. Wilhel ...
Zeppelin LZ52, ''L 18'', destroyed in shed fire at
Tondern during refilling.
1916
;22 March
:Soldato Pilot Amico of
71 Squadriglia, ''
Regio Esercito
The Royal Italian Army ( it, Regio Esercito, , Royal Army) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manfre ...
'', was killed when he stalled his
Nieuport X
The Nieuport 10 (or Nieuport XB in contemporary sources) was a French First World War sesquiplane that filled a wide variety of roles, including reconnaissance, fighter and trainer.
Design and development
In January 1914, designer Gustave Dela ...
, ''1452'', and crashed near
Cascina Farello, Italy.
;7 June
:Sergente Gefli of 71 Squadriglia, ''Regio Esercito'', was killed when his
Nieuport collided with another Nieuport during simulated combat and crashed near
Villaverla
Villaverla is a town in the province of Vicenza, Veneto, Italy. It is west of SP349 and south of A31.
Origins
From Roman times, the original name of the nearby village that eventually became Villaverla was "Roveredum." The center of that first vi ...
, Italy.
;9 June
:Lt.j.g.
Richard Caswell Saufley of the
U.S. Navy, designated Naval Aviator No. 14, is killed in the crash of a
Curtiss Model E
The Curtiss Model E was an early aircraft developed by Glenn Curtiss in the United States in 1911.
Design
Essentially a refined and enlarged version of the later "headless" Model D, variants of the Model E made important steps in pioneering ...
hydro-plane (seaplane), ''AH-8'', over
Santa Rosa Island near
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola () is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle, and the county seat and only incorporated city of Escambia County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 54,312. Pensacola is the principal ...
at the 8 hr., 51 min. mark of an attempted long-duration flight.
Saufley Field
Saufley Field is a military airport and support facility located in unincorporated Escambia County, Florida, United States, five nautical miles (9 km) west of the central business district of Pensacola.
It is an active U.S. Navy facility ...
, north of
NAS Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...
, is subsequently named for him.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 84.]
;18 June
:German ace
Max Immelmann (17 victories) is killed at ~2215 hrs. when his
Fokker E.III
The Fokker E.III was the main variant of the ''Eindecker'' (literally meaning "one deck") fighter aircraft of World War I. It entered service on the Western Front in December 1915 and was also supplied to Austria-Hungary and Turkey.
Design and ...
monoplane, ''246-16'', crashes after breaking up in the air when the interrupter gear malfunctions and he shoots away his own propeller. He had been engaging an
F.E.2b piloted by 2nd Lt. G. R. Gubbin with Cpl. J. H. Waller as gunner.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 86.] Gubbin and Waller were credited with the victory, but another theory posits that Immelmann may have taken hits from friendly
AAA
AAA, Triple A, or Triple-A is a three-letter initialism or abbreviation which may refer to:
Airports
* Anaa Airport in French Polynesia (IATA airport code AAA)
* Logan County Airport (Illinois) (FAA airport code AAA)
Arts, entertainment, and me ...
, as the propeller failure would not necessarily have caused the complete airframe disintegration that occurred.
;Afternoon of 27 June
:
Fokker
Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names. It was founded in 1912 in Berlin, Germany, and became famous for its fighter aircraft in World War I. In 1919 ...
's chief designer and test pilot Martin Kreutzer takes a
Fokker D.I
The Fokker D.I (company designation M.18) was a development of the D.II fighter. The D.I was also flown in Austro-Hungarian service as a fighter trainer aircraft under the designation B.III. Confusing the matter further, both the D.II and D.I ar ...
for a test flight, but when he kicks the rudder hard over, it jams and he is severely injured in the subsequent crash, dying in hospital the next day.
;3 September
:Imperial German Army
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...
''LZ86'', LZ56, crashed when the fore and aft nacelles broke away from the ship's hull after a raid.
;Night of 6 September
:The Roland (
Luftfahrzeug Gesellschaft
Luft-Fahrzeug-Gesellschaft, also referred to as LFG, was a German aircraft manufacturer during World War I. They are best known for their various "Roland" designs, notably the Roland C.II ''Walfisch'' (whale), Roland D.II ''haifisch'' (Shark) and ...
mbH, or LFG)
Adlershof, Berlin, Germany, aircraft plant burns, destroying seven complete aircraft, including the
prototype
A prototype is an early sample, model, or release of a product built to test a concept or process. It is a term used in a variety of contexts, including semantics, design, electronics, and Software prototyping, software programming. A prototyp ...
LFG Roland C.III (and only one built), as well as ten
fuselage
The fuselage (; from the French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an engine as well, although in some amphibious aircraft t ...
s. Assembly jigs and fixtures, models and some drawings are salvaged and production resumes a week later in commandeered Automobile Exhibition Hall.
[Abbott, Dan S., and Grosz, Peter M. "The Benighted Rolands", ''Air Enthusiast'' Quarterly, Bromley, Kent., UK, Volume 3, 1976, pages 39–40.]
;16 September
: Two Imperial German Navy
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...
s destroyed when ''L 6'', LZ31, took fire during refilling of gas in its hangar at
Fuhlsbüttel
is an urban quarter in the north of Hamburg, Germany in the Hamburg-Nord district. It is known as the site of Hamburg's international airport, and as the location of a prison which served as a concentration camp in the Nazi system of repression. ...
and burnt down together with ''L 9'', LZ36.
;21 September
:One only prototype
Avro 521
The Avro 521 was a British two-seat fighter first flown in late 1915, based on the 504
__NOTOC__
Year 504 (DIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known ...
fighter, ''1811'', (a serial that duplicated one assigned to a Bleriot monoplane), assigned to Central Flying School
Upavon, crashes killing pilot Lt. W. H. S. Garnett.
;26 September
:Flying ace ''Leutnant''
Max Ritter von Mulzer
}
''Leutnant'' Max Ritter von Mulzer was a German World War I flying ace credited with ten aerial victories.The Aerodrome website http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/germany/mulzer.php Retrieved on 19 April 2010. He was the first Bavarian fighter ac ...
(ten aerial victories credited), the first Bavarian fighter ace, first Bavarian ace recipient of the
Pour le Merite, and first Bavarian knighted for his exploits, on this date sideslips
Albatros D.I
The Albatros D.I was a German fighter aircraft used during World War I. Although its operational career was short, it was the first of the Albatros D types which equipped the bulk of the German and Austrian fighter squadrons (''Jagdstaffeln'') fo ...
''426/16'' into a hard bank, loses control, and crashes at Armee Flug Park 6,
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...
, with fatal result.
;28 October
:
Undercarriage
Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include:
*The landing gear of an aircraft.
*The ch ...
of German fighter pilot
Erwin Böhme, diving on a British fighter, strikes upper wing of ace
Oswald Boelcke
Oswald Boelcke PlM (; 19 May 1891 – 28 October 1916) was a World War I German professional soldier and pioneering flying ace credited with 40 aerial victories. Boelcke is honored as the father of the German fighter air force, and of air ...
's
Albatros D.II
The Albatros D.II was a German fighter aircraft used during World War I. After a successful combat career in the early '' Jagdstaffeln'', it was gradually superseded by the Albatros D.III.
Design and development
Albatros designers Robert Thelen ...
, also pursuing the same target. Fabric peels loose, aircraft disappears into cloud – when it emerges, the top wing is gone. Boelcke makes relatively "soft" landing, but as he habitually flew without a helmet, and in haste to take off had not properly secured his seatbelt, he was killed on impact. He was 25, and was credited with 40 victories.
Jasta 2 is officially named "Jasta Boelcke" on 17 December 1916 in honour of its former commander.
;7 November
:Imperial German Army
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...
''LZ90'', LZ60, broke loose in the direction of the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
in a storm and never seen again.
;8 November
:Lieutenant
Clarence K. Bronson, Naval Aviator No. 15, and Lieutenant Luther Welsh, on an experimental bomb test flight at Naval Proving Ground,
Indian Head, Maryland, were instantly killed by the premature explosion of a bomb in their plane.
;13 November
:Sole prototype of the
Zeppelin-Lindau (Dornier) V1
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH is a German aircraft manufacturing company. It is perhaps best known for its leading role in the design and manufacture of rigid airships, commonly referred to as ''Zeppelins'' due to the company's prominence. The name ...
, a single-seat, all-metal fighter with pod-type fuselage and pusher Maybach Mb III engine, designed by Dipl-Ing
Claudius Dornier, and built by the Abteilung 'Dornier' of the
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin
Luftschiffbau Zeppelin GmbH is a German aircraft manufacturing company. It is perhaps best known for its leading role in the design and manufacture of rigid airships, commonly referred to as ''Zeppelins'' due to the company's prominence. The name ...
GmbH at
Seemoos, near
Friedrichshafen
Friedrichshafen ( or ; Low Alemannic: ''Hafe'' or ''Fridrichshafe'') is a city on the northern shoreline of Lake Constance (the ''Bodensee'') in Southern Germany, near the borders of both Switzerland and Austria. It is the district capital (''Kre ...
, attempts initial flight. After a series of ground hops in September by Bruno E. Schröter, this pilot refused to fly the prototype due to pronounced tail-heaviness. Oblt. Haller von Hallerstein, instead undertakes initial flight this date, but the V1 performs a loop immediately after take-off, crashing, killing pilot. No further development undertaken of the type.
;12 December
:Sole prototype of
Kishi No.2 ''Tsurugi-go'' ("Sword" type) Aeroplane, 'II', single-engine pusher biplane, makes first and last flight when Lt. Inoue lifts off, immediately banks sharply to port, wingtip contacts ground, airframe cartwheels sustaining considerable damage. Cause of accident assumed to be due to the sweptback wing design.
[Mikesh, Robert C., and Abe, Shorzoe, "Japanese Aircraft 1910–1941", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1990, , page 80.]
;28 December
:Imperial German Navy
Zeppelin LZ69 ''L 24'', crashed into a wall while being "stabled", broke its back, and burned out together with ''L 17'', LZ53.
;29 December
:Imperial German Navy
Zeppelin LZ84 ''L 38'', damaged beyond repair in a forced landing (due to heavy snowfall) during an attempted raid on
Reval and
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...
.
1917
![Dunning Landing-on Furious In Pup](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/38/Dunning_Landing-on_Furious_In_Pup.jpg)
;1 January
:Five
Royal Naval Air Service
The Royal Naval Air Service (RNAS) was the air arm of the Royal Navy, under the direction of the Admiralty's Air Department, and existed formally from 1 July 1914 to 1 April 1918, when it was merged with the British Army's Royal Flying Corps t ...
crew en route from
Manston, England to
Villacoublay, France in a
Handley Page 0/100
The Handley Page Type O was a biplane bomber used by Britain during the First World War. When built, the Type O was the largest aircraft that had been built in the UK and one of the largest in the world. There were two main variants, the Handle ...
bomber, run into clouds, lose their direction due to a compass fault, and land to ask directions. Unfortunately, they come down behind German lines at
Chalandry, near
Lâon, France, and before they can either burn the machine or take off, a German infantry patrol captures them and their intact bomber. An unconfirmed story states that
Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of ...
flew this machine to 10,000 feet before the Kaiser at a later date.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 92.] Another source cites 2 February as the date of this incident.
;21 January
:Sergente Menegoni of
71 Squadriglia, ''
Regio Esercito
The Royal Italian Army ( it, Regio Esercito, , Royal Army) was the land force of the Kingdom of Italy, established with the proclamation of the Kingdom of Italy. During the 19th century Italy started to unify into one country, and in 1861 Manfre ...
'', was killed when his
Nieuport 11
The Nieuport 11 (or Nieuport XI C.1 in contemporary sources), nicknamed the ''Bébé'', was a French World War I single seat sesquiplane fighter aircraft, designed by Gustave Delage. It was the primary aircraft that ended the Fokker Scourge in ...
, ''1622'', suffered a structural failure of the wing struts and crashed.
;28 January
:
Royal Aircraft Factory test pilot Maj.
Frank W. Goodden is killed in the second prototype
S.E.5
The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 is a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory by a team consisting of Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and Major Frank Goodden. It was one of the ...
, ''A4562'' at
RAE Farnborough, when it breaks up in flight. At the time of his death, Goodden was one of Britain's most experienced pilots. Inspection found that the wings had suffered failure in downward torsion. Plywood webs were added to the compression ribs, curing the trouble and were standardized on all later S.E.5s and 5a's.
[London, UK: Aeroplane, Maynard, John, "''Think of the Risks...''", March 2006, Volume 34, Number 3, No. 395, page 31.]
;7 February
:Imperial German Navy
Zeppelin LZ82 ''L 36'', damaged during landing in fog at
Rheden upon Aller and decommissioned.
;12 March :Flight Sub-Lieutenant Ronald Victor Knight, Royal Naval Air Service, died at
RAF Cranwell
Royal Air Force Cranwell or more simply RAF Cranwell is a Royal Air Force station in Lincolnshire, England, close to the village of Cranwell, near Sleaford. Among other functions, it is home to the Royal Air Force College (RAFC), which trai ...
on 12 March 1917 where he was an assistant flying instructor. The engine of the plane in which he was flying failed and he dived to his death. He is buried in Wells Cemetery,
Somerset
( en, All The People of Somerset)
, locator_map =
, coordinates =
, region = South West England
, established_date = Ancient
, established_by =
, preceded_by =
, origin =
, lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset
, lord_ ...
and his name is shown on the war memorial in Wells.
;26 March
:Ex-
Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, decorations ...
pilot J. B. Fitzsimmons is killed while engaging in some low level aerobatics in a high wind in the sole
Nestler Scout (no serial) when the fabric began stripping from the wings. Fitzsimmons crashes into a hangar and the airframe is wrecked. No further development work takes place on the design.
;June
:During this month, six Russian
Anatra D
The Anatra D or Anade was a two-seat reconnaissance aircraft built in Odessa, Russian Empire and flown during World War I. It was a two-bay biplane of conventional configuration that seated the pilot and observer in tandem, open cockpits. Test f ...
biplanes crash due to poor quality manufacturing, killing their pilots. The Russian aircraft builder was hampered by a shortage of high-quality wood and fabricated each wing spar in two pieces, overlapping at the joint by only 12 inches, held together with glue and tape.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 97.]
;16 June
:Imperial German Navy
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...
''L 40'', LZ88, damaged beyond repair in a failed landing at
Nordholz Airbase.
;July
:Even though
Vickers
Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...
already had experience in building promising
tractor scout
The term scout, as a description of a class of military aircraft, came into use shortly before the First World War, and initially referred to a fast (for its time), light (usually single-seated) unarmed reconnaissance aircraft. "Scout" types we ...
s, and the pusher-style Gunbus had been outmoded for two years in the presence of dedicated dogfighters, the company built one prototype
Vickers F.B.25, powered by a 150-hp. direct-drive
Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza () is a Spanish automotive–engineering company. It was founded in 1904 by Marc Birkigt and Damian Mateu as an automobile manufacturer and eventually had several factories in Spain and France that produced luxury cars, aircraft en ...
engine in 1917, armed with one
1.59 inch Breech-Loading Vickers Q.F. Gun, Mk II
The 1.59-inch breech-loading Vickers Q.F. gun, Mk II was a British light artillery piece designed during World War I. Originally intended for use in trench warfare, it was instead tested for air-to-air and air-to-ground use by aircraft. Although ...
(popularly known as the "Vickers Crayford rocket gun") in the nose as an anti-airship night fighter. A ten-inch searchlight was intended to be fitted in the extreme nose but there is no evidence that this was ever installed. Design underwent trials at
Martlesham Heath in late June or early July, but crashed whilst landing in a strong wind, a trials report stating that due to poor controls, the aircraft proved to be "almost unmanageable in a wind over 20 mph". The serial of this aircraft is not known, although a document, traced recently, refers to it as No. "13", and it has been suggested that this may indicate ''A9813'' – formerly a cancelled number intended for a
Sopwith Triplane.
;21 July: French test pilot/instructor Jean Robinet, awarded Aviator's Certificate No. 476 by the
Aéro-Club de France on 29 April 1911, is KWF an
Anatra D
The Anatra D or Anade was a two-seat reconnaissance aircraft built in Odessa, Russian Empire and flown during World War I. It was a two-bay biplane of conventional configuration that seated the pilot and observer in tandem, open cockpits. Test f ...
at the Anatra Factory,
Odessa, Russia, this date.
;2 August :"Captain Ralph L. Taylor, U. S. R., instructor of the Government Aviation Training School at
Mineola,
L. I., was killed when the military biplane under his control fell from a height of 800 feet, Aug. 2. Sergt. Thomas F. Pell, a student aviator with Captain Taylor, was injured." The Aviation Archeology database has no listing for this accident.
;3 August :"When the motor of his airplane stopped 300 feet up and the machine fell during his first flight, C. B. Lambert of
Welch, W. Va., a student at the West Virginia Aviation School at
Beech Bottom, was killed August 3. E. L. Frey, a member of the British
Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, decorations ...
, an instructor at the school, was accompanying Lambert and sustained serious injuries." The Aviation Archeology database has no listing for this accident.
;7 August
:Squadron Commander
Edwin H. Dunning,
RNAS, (17 July 1892 – 7 August 1917) during landing attempt aboard , Pennant number 47, in
Sopwith Pup
The Sopwith Pup is a British single-seater biplane fighter aircraft built by the Sopwith Aviation Company. It entered service with the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps in the autumn of 1916. With pleasant flying characteristi ...
, ''N6452'', decides to go around before touchdown, but Le Rhône rotary engine chokes, Pup stalls and falls into the water off the starboard bow. Pilot stunned, drowns in the 20 minutes before rescuers reach still-floating airframe. Dunning had made two previous successful landings on ''Furious'', the first-ever aboard a moving vessel.
[Bruce, J.M., "Sopwith's Pedigree Pup", ''Air Enthusiast'' Quarterly, Bromley, Kent., UK, Volume 4, 1976, pages 204.]
;25 August
:Sole
Vickers F.B.26 Vampire, ''B1484'', piloted by Vickers test pilot
Harold Barnwell
Richard Harold Barnwell (3 April 1879 – 25 August 1917) was an English aviation pioneer, who began as an aircraft builder. He died while test-flying an early Vickers fighter aircraft.
Life
He was born in Lewisham in southeast London on 3 Apr ...
, crashes at Joyce Green, when he attempts a spin without sufficient altitude for recovery. Pilot KWF.
;17 September
:A kite balloon from the was hit by a squall and while being hauled down struck the water so hard that the observer, Lieutenant (jg) Henry W. Hoyt, was knocked out of the basket and caught underwater in the balloon rigging. As the balloon was pulled toward the ship,
Patrick McGunigal,
Ships Fitter First Class, (30 May 1876 – 19 January 1936) jumped overboard, cleared the tangle and put a line around Lieutenant Hoyt so that he could be hauled up on deck. For this act of heroism, McGunigal was later awarded the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
,
the first of the Great War. The ''Huntington'' was convoying six troopships across the Atlantic to France and the balloon observation was being made as it transited the war zone.
;19 October
:Imperial German Navy
Zeppelin LZ50 ''L 16'', damaged beyond repair in a forced landing near
Brunsbüttel
Brunsbüttel () is a town in the district of Dithmarschen, in Schleswig-Holstein, northern Germany that lies at the mouth of the Elbe river, near the North Sea. It is the location of the western entrance to the Kiel Canal.
History
The earliest re ...
.
![Fd75](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Fd75.jpg)
;29 October
:Lt.
Heinrich Gontermann, known as the Balloon Strafer, receives fatal injuries when the
Fokker Dr.I
The Fokker Dr.I (''Dreidecker'', "triplane" in German), often known simply as the Fokker Triplane, was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918. It became famous as the ...
''115/17'', of ''
Jasta 15'', he is performing aerobatics over his airfield at 1,500 feet in, suffers structural failure as the top wing breaks up, crashes, suffers grievous facial injuries, dies the following day. The Triplane had been delivered to ''Jasta'' 15 on 22 October but foul weather kept it grounded until the 28th. Gontermann had scored 21 airplane kills and 18 balloons.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 103.]
;31 October
:
Fokker Dr.I
The Fokker Dr.I (''Dreidecker'', "triplane" in German), often known simply as the Fokker Triplane, was a World War I fighter aircraft built by Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. The Dr.I saw widespread service in the spring of 1918. It became famous as the ...
''121/17'', flown by Lt. Pastor from ''
Jasta 11'', one of the JG.1 units under
Manfred von Richthofen
Manfred Albrecht Freiherr von Richthofen (; 2 May 1892 – 21 April 1918), known in English as Baron von Richthofen or the Red Baron, was a fighter pilot with the German Air Force during World War I. He is considered the ace-of-aces of ...
, suffers structural failure and crashes. Second such crash in three days causes all Fokker Triplanes to be grounded immediately with affected flight crew reverting temporarily to
Albatros D.V
The Albatros D.V is a fighter aircraft built by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke and used by the ''Luftstreitkräfte'' (Imperial German Air Service) during World War I. The D.V was the final development of the Albatros D.I family and the last Albatro ...
a and
Pfalz D.III scouts. Accidents are investigated 2 November, reports issued 13 days later. Instructions for manufacturing and assembly improvements are implemented, production and flying resume 28 November.
;22 November
:A
Tellier T.3 seaplane piloted by U.S. Navy Ensign Kenneth R. Smith, with Electrician's Mate Wilkinson and Machinist's Mate Brady on board, was forced down at sea on a flight out of NAS
LeCroisic, France, to investigate the reported presence of German submarines south of Belle Isle. Two days later, and only minutes before their damaged aircraft sank, they were rescued by a French destroyer. It was the first armed patrol by a U.S. Naval Aviator in European waters.
Smith was Naval Aviator No. 87.
;December
:Second prototype
Sopwith Snipe, ''B9963'', tricky to fly as its
Bentley BR2 rotary engine had immense torque that made directional control difficult, as well as being tail heavy while climbing, and nose heavy while diving, crashes, probably at
RAE Farnborough, England. This airframe may have been a rebuild of B.R.1-engined prototype.
;1 December :A
Caproni Ca.4
The Caproni Ca.4 was an Italian heavy bomber of the World War I era.
Development
After designing the successful Ca.3, Gianni Caproni of the Caproni works designed a much bigger aircraft. It shared the unusual layout of the Caproni Ca.3, being a ...
bomber, c/n 5349, which arrived at
Langley Field, Virginia, as part of a shipment of various Italian aircraft in September 1917, but whose erection was delayed by lack of an appropriate hangar, is finally readied for flight on this date. Upon takeoff, one motor fails and unable to maintain airspeed on the remaining two powerplants, the airframe piles up on the edge of the field. No injuries, but the airframe is a total loss.
;12 December
:
North Sea class blimp ''N.S.5'' sets off for
RNAS East Fortune, but both engines fail within sight of her destination, and she drifts with the wind for about before they can be restarted. However, since both engines continue to be troublesome it is decided to make a "free balloon" landing, but the ship is damaged beyond repair during the attempt.
1918
;Early 1918
:Sole prototype of the
Curtiss CB (Curtiss Battleplane), unofficially known as the "Liberty Battler", ''34632'', an experimental two-seat fighter developed and flown early in this year as a result of difficulties being experienced with the Liberty-engined version of the
Bristol F2B
The Bristol F.2 Fighter is a British First World War two-seat biplane fighter and reconnaissance aircraft developed by Frank Barnwell at the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It is often simply called the Bristol Fighter, ''"Brisfit"'' or ''"Bif ...
, proves to have extremely poor handling characteristics and subsequently crashes early in its test programme. Three additional airframes, ''34633-34635'', cancelled.
;5 January
:Imperial German Navy
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...
, ''L 47'', LZ87, destroyed by a giant explosion at the air base in
Ahlhorn, along with ''L 46'', LZ94, ''L 51'', LZ97, and ''L 58'', LZ105, and one non-Zeppelin-type airship, stabled in three adjacent hangars. This is supposed to have been an accident, though
sabotage
Sabotage is a deliberate action aimed at weakening a polity, effort, or organization through subversion, obstruction, disruption, or destruction. One who engages in sabotage is a ''saboteur''. Saboteurs typically try to conceal their identitie ...
could not be ruled out.
;7 February
:During
U.S. Navy tests of a converted
Curtiss N-9 biplane as an unpiloted
flying bomb
A flying bomb is a manned or unmanned aerial vehicle or aircraft carrying a large explosive warhead, a precursor to contemporary cruise missiles. In contrast to a bomber aircraft, which is intended to release bombs and then return to its base for ...
, equipped with a
Sperry Sperry may refer to:
Places
In the United States:
*Sperry, Iowa, community in Des Moines County
*Sperry, Missouri
*Sperry, Oklahoma, town in Tulsa County
*Sperry Chalet, historic backcountry chalet, Glacier National Park, Montana
*Sperry Glacier, ...
automatic control,
Lawrence Sperry takes it up to prove airworthiness of the design, crashes, but pilot unhurt.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 108.]
;13 February:"
FORT WORTH
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...
, Tex., Feb 13. - Lieutenant Wray and Cadet Porter of the
Canadian Royal Flying corps were killed at
Hicks Field this afternoon when their machine fell to earth. Approximately forty aviators have been killed at the training field near here since the aviation camps were opened. Lieutenant
Peyton C. March Jr., injured yesterday when his airplane fell at Hicks Field, died at 2 o'clock this afternoon, it was announced at the base hospital here."
;Night of 7/8 March:Captain Henry Clifford Stroud (July 1893 – 7 March 1918) of
No. 61 Squadron RFC,
Rochford Aerodrome,
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
, flying an
S.E.5
The Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 is a British biplane fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was developed at the Royal Aircraft Factory by a team consisting of Henry Folland, John Kenworthy and Major Frank Goodden. It was one of the ...
a, ''B679'', and Capt Alexander Bruce Kynoch (5 January 1894 – 7 March 1918) of
No. 37 Squadron RFC in a
Royal Aircraft Factory BE 12
The Royal Aircraft Factory B.E.12 was a British single-seat aeroplane of The First World War designed at the Royal Aircraft Factory. It was essentially a single-seat version of the B.E.2.
Intended for use as a long-range reconnaissance and bom ...
, ''C3208'',
out of
Stow Maries Aerodrome, Essex, are killed in a midair collision over
Shotgate
Shotgate is a civil parish and village in Essex, England. On 1 April 2007, Shotgate became the first area of Wickford to have a Parish Council.
History
Mid-Iron Age pottery found at Shotgate Farm shows that the area was inhabited in 300 BC. I ...
about midnight. Kynoch took off at 2329 hrs. while Stroud took off at 2330 hrs., both attempting to intercept a German raider headed for London, but collided on a moonless night, both coming down in Dollymans Farm. Stroud is buried in the churchyard of St. Andrews Church in
Rochford
Rochford is a town in Essex, England, north of Southend-on-Sea, from London and from Chelmsford, the county town. At the 2011 census, the Civil parishes in England, civil parish, which includes the town and London Southend Airport, had a popu ...
. Kynoch is buried in
St. Pancras and Islington Cemetery in
north London.
;10 March
:Sole prototype
Nieuport B.N.1
The Nieuport B.N.1 was a prototype British single-engined fighter aircraft of the First World War. It was a single-engined biplane intended to replace the Sopwith Camel, but only one was built, being destroyed in a crash. The Sopwith Snipe was ...
, ''C3484'', operating out of
Sutton's Farm, a home aerodrome, Great Britain, catches fire in the air and is destroyed. No further development undertaken.
;13 March: "
NORFOLK
Norfolk () is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in East Anglia in England. It borders Lincolnshire to the north-west, Cambridgeshire to the west and south-west, and Suffolk to the south. Its northern and eastern boundaries are the No ...
, Va., March 14. - Falling while 300 feet in the air in a seaplane, Ensign Leslie M. Macnaughton,
U. S. N. R. F., was drowned and Cadet Malcolm Stevenson was slightly injured." "The plane was completely wrecked. It had not been determined tonight what caused the accident. MacNaughton's body was recovered soon after the accident by a navy craft. Stevenson was clinging to the wreckage, slightly stunned, but otherwise uninjured." Leslie Malcolm MacNaughton, Reserve Force (class 5), born 2 October 1894, was an undergraduate at
Yale University
Yale University is a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and among the most prestigious in the wo ...
, where he joined the Yale Flying Squadron (third Yale Unit). He left school to become a pilot during the World War, being designated Naval Aviator Number 330 on 28 January 1918, and was flying from
Naval Air Station Hampton Roads
Naval Station Norfolk Chambers Field ( IATA: NGU, ICAO: KNGU, FAA LID: NGU),or LP-1/Chambers Field, is commonly known simply as, Chambers Field, and is named after Captain Washington Irving Chambers. It is a&nbs ...
.
;14 March: "
HUSTON,
'sic''March 14. - Lieut. Marmaduke Earle of
Louisburg,
'sic''Pennsylvania, and Nile Gelwick of
Findlay, Ohio, were killed at
Ellington field 'sic''today and Civilian Instructor Kaiser was seriously injured internally in falls in airplanes resulting from a
tail spin
''Tail Spin'' (also known as ''Tailspin'') is a 1939 aviation film. The screenplay was written by Frank Wead and directed by Roy Del Ruth. It was based on the book, "Women with Wings: A novel of the modern day aviatrix" (Ganesha Publishing, 193 ...
. Both accidents were attributed to high wind which prevented the young fliers gaining control of the planes when they fell into the tail spin." The Aviation Archeology database lists pilot Miles W. Gelwicks as killed in
Curtiss JN-4D, ''SC-25056'', at Ellington Field this date, and M. M. Earle killed in an unknown airframe.
;14 March: "
FORT WORTH
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...
, March 14. - Lieut C. Finch of the
Royal flying corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, decorations ...
'sic''and Cadet Flier Howard P. Bittinger of the United States aviation corps were seriously injured here when the engine of their airplane stopped at an altitude of 500 feet and they fell at
Camp Hicks." The Aviation Archeology database does not list this accident.
;15 March :"
SAN DIEGO
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, Cal., March 15. - Flying Cadet M. J. Lazelli had a narrow escape from death about noon today while on flight duty near
Rockwell field
Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California.
This airfield ...
.
'sic''Lazelli, flying almost a mile high, was practicing trick evolutions and failed to come out of the drop known as the '
falling leaf
A falling leaf (also called a rudder stall or oscillation stall) is a maneuver in which an aircraft performs a wings-level stall (aerodynamic), stall (the airplane stops flying and starts falling) which begins to induce a spin. This spin is counte ...
.' The machine developed a
tail spin
''Tail Spin'' (also known as ''Tailspin'') is a 1939 aviation film. The screenplay was written by Frank Wead and directed by Roy Del Ruth. It was based on the book, "Women with Wings: A novel of the modern day aviatrix" (Ganesha Publishing, 193 ...
and fell 4000 feet into the
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...
. Lazelli was rescued almost immediately after he struck the water, escaping with only slight bruises. The airplane was but slightly damaged."
;18 March :"
FORT WORTH
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...
, March 18. - Cadet Flier Ellis B. Watts was instantly killed and Capt. L. V. Drake was injured when their airplane fell 300 feet in a spinning nose dive. Cadet Watts' home was in
Portland
Portland most commonly refers to:
* Portland, Oregon, the largest city in the state of Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States
* Portland, Maine, the largest city in the state of Maine, in the New England region of the northeas ...
, Oregon." The Aviation Archeology database shows L. V. Drake as pilot of an unidentified airframe in an accident at
Camp Everman, Texas.
;18 March: "By
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
to THE SUN
SAN DIEGO
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, March 18. - Flying Cadet Ralph T. Simpson, 27 years old, of
Pasadena
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
Its ...
, was instantly killed this afternoon, when, emerging from a long nose dive in his airplane, he emerged from the dive upside down and fell to the water near
North Island
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...
a distance of 100 feet. The machine landed on the cadet as he struck the water and was totally wrecked by the crash. Simpson's body was soon recovered and plans were made to send his body to Pasadena late tonight. Simpson was what is technically known as a second solo flier and had been making rapid progress in his training work. The accident was the first of the kind on record here. Simpson was the third cadet killed in practice work here, although
Rockwell Field
Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California.
This airfield ...
at North Island has turned out hundreds of young aviators in the last few months, their total length of flights being more than 50 times the circumferenece
'sic''of the globe." Another report described the fall as being 1,500 feet, although this may refer to the length of the dive. It continued that Simpson was alone in the plane, and that he had only been at the aviation school for one month, having come from the preliminary training school at the
University of California
The University of California (UC) is a public land-grant research university system in the U.S. state of California. The system is composed of the campuses at Berkeley, Davis, Irvine, Los Angeles, Merced, Riverside, San Diego, San Francisco, ...
. The Aviation Archeology database shows Simpson crashing into
San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port located in San Diego County, California near the U.S.–Mexico border. The bay, which is long and wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's of c ...
in
Curtiss JN-4, ''SC-953'', this date.
;28 March
:Sole prototype of the
Breguet LE (
Laboratoire Eiffel), a single-seat fighter monoplane, crashes on its second flight, out of
Villacoublay, France, when it dives into the ground at full-throttle, killing pilot Jean Sauclière. Further development suspended.
;4 April
:
Royal Flying Corps
"Through Adversity to the Stars"
, colors =
, colours_label =
, march =
, mascot =
, anniversaries =
, decorations ...
SPAD 12, ''S.449''/''B6877'', equipped with engine No. 9253, crashes during flight from
Martlesham Heath to the
Isle of Grain. Records do not indicate any attempts to repair or replace the sole example of this model received by the RFC.
;16 April: "
HOUSTON
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Tex., May 13. - Lieut. Benjamin V. Maurice, of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, died at
Ellington field 'sic''today of injuries suffered when his airplane fell, April 16."
;17 April :"By
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
to THE SUN
HAMILTON Hamilton may refer to:
People
* Hamilton (name), a common British surname and occasional given name, usually of Scottish origin, including a list of persons with the surname
** The Duke of Hamilton, the premier peer of Scotland
** Lord Hamilt ...
, O., April 17. - Cadet Edward B. Bonynge of
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
, was instantly killed and his pilot seriously hurt in an airplane accident a mile from the
Beamsville
Beamsville ( 2021 Urban area estimated population 13,323) is a community that is part of the town of Lincoln, Ontario, Canada. It is located along the southern shore of Lake Ontario and lies within the fruit belt of the Niagara Peninsula. It co ...
aviation camp today. Bonynge was to leave for overseas shortly. Bonynge came here from
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
, New Jersey. His parents lived in
Santa Barbara, California."
;17 April :
Curtiss JN-4CAN "Jenny", ''SC-39997'', of the Signal Corps Aviation School,
Rockwell Field
Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California.
This airfield ...
,
North Island
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...
,
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, California, crashes into
San Diego Bay
San Diego Bay is a natural harbor and deepwater port located in San Diego County, California near the U.S.–Mexico border. The bay, which is long and wide, is the third largest of the three large, protected natural bays on California's of c ...
. killing the pilot. "By
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
to THE SUN SAN DIEGO, April 17. - Second Lieut. Guinn W. Mattern, of
Dayton
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
, Ohio, was killed here today when the airplane in which he was practicing for his reserve military aviator license, went into a
tail spin
''Tail Spin'' (also known as ''Tailspin'') is a 1939 aviation film. The screenplay was written by Frank Wead and directed by Roy Del Ruth. It was based on the book, "Women with Wings: A novel of the modern day aviatrix" (Ganesha Publishing, 193 ...
and fell 1,500 feet into San Diego bay. Neither machine nor the aviator's body had been recovered tonight." "SAN DIEGO, April 18 – Divers were still searching today for the body of Lieutenant Guinn W. Mattern, formerly of
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...
, who fell to his death in San Diego bay late yesterday. Mattern, doing a tail spin, dropped 1500 feet into the bay channel and machine and aviator disappeared. He is the fourth aviation victim at North Island since the United States declared war." The Aviation Archeology database spells the pilot's name Gwynn W. Mattern.
;24 April:"By
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
to THE SUN
WICHITA FALLS, Tex., April 24. - Second Lieut. Stephen R. Warner, flying instructor of
Maplewood, New Jersey
Maplewood is a township in Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. The township is an inner-ring suburban bedroom community of New York City in the New York metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the township's populatio ...
, with Cadet Edwin D. Cryer of
Allegheny, Pennsylvania, were killed two miles east of
Call field
Call Field is a former World War I military airfield, located southwest of Wichita Falls, Texas. It operated as a training field for the United States Army Air Service between 1917 until 1919. The airfield was List of airfields of the Training ...
,
'sic''near here, this morning, when their plane, flying 50 feet above the ground, suddenly burst into flames and fell. Both bodies were badly burned." The Aviation Archaeology database lists
Curtiss JN-4D, ''SC-1703'', with Edwin Duncan Cryer as crew crashing near
Call Field
Call Field is a former World War I military airfield, located southwest of Wichita Falls, Texas. It operated as a training field for the United States Army Air Service between 1917 until 1919. The airfield was List of airfields of the Training ...
this date.
However, Joe Baugher shows serial ''1703'' tying up to a
Standard J-1
The Standard J is a two-seat basic trainer two-bay biplane produced in the United States from 1916 to 1918, powered by a four-cylinder inline Hall-Scott A-7a engine. It was constructed from wood with wire bracing and fabric covering. The J-1 ...
, not a JN-4.
;30 April: "By
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
to THE SUN
WASHINGTON
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
, May 9. - Edward Augustus Smith Jr., of
Baltimore
Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
, of the navy aviation service, was killed April 30 in an airplane accident in
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
, the navy department announced today." The
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The library is ...
lists Edward Augustus Smith Jr., Quartermaster lc aviation, as killed this date. His remains were not recovered.
;1 May:"By
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
to THE SUN
DAYTON
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
, O., May 1. - Lloyd Allen, aged 24, of
New York city
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
'sic''a cadet flyer at the
Wilbur Wright aviation field met instant death today when his machine became unmanageable while making a practice flight and crashed into a school building." The Aviation Archaeology database lists
Curtiss JN-4A, ''SC-1500'', of the Signal Corps Aviation School, flown by Lloyd S. Allen, crashing this date,
confirmed by Joe Baugher.
;2 May :
de Havilland DH.4M, ''AS-32084'', during test flight of the
Liberty engine by Major Oscar A. Brindley, "the Army's most experienced pilot", and Lt. Col. Henry J. Damm, out of
McCook Field
McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It was operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and its successor the United States Army Air Service from 1917 to 1927. It was named fo ...
,
Dayton
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
, Ohio, takes off at maximum weight, stalls before clearing "the small maple trees that bordered the field and crashed to the ground before the eyes of horrified witnesses. Maj. Brindley died instantly, and Lt. Col. Damm passed away on the trip to the hospital." The cause was found to be a spark plug that "had jammed itself between the wing's trailing edge and aileron, making it impossible for Brindley to control the craft." A period wire service item lists the accident site as occurring at the
Dayton-Wright Company airfield at
Morain City 'sic''[Wire service, "CAL. FLIER AND 2 OTHERS DIE IN FALLS", ''Los Angeles Evening Herald'', Los Angeles, California, Thursday 2 May 1918, Volume XLIII, Number 156, page 1.] the location of that firm's plant 1, their main factory. Both officers had recently come from Washington, D.C., and according to a news account their plane fell ~400 feet. Damm had served as commanding officer at the North Island aviation school at
Rockwell Field
Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California.
This airfield ...
until 1 February 1918. Brindley, "before entering the army, was a civilian instructor at North Island. He was detailed by the war department to investigate a series of fatal accidents here
an Diego
An, AN, aN, or an may refer to:
Businesses and organizations
* Airlinair (IATA airline code AN)
* Alleanza Nazionale, a former political party in Italy
* AnimeNEXT, an annual anime convention located in New Jersey
* Anime North, a Canadian a ...
and his recommendations resulted in the junking of a large number of army airplanes and the consequent falling off in the number of accidents."
;2 May:"
OMAHA
Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...
, Neb., May 3. - Two
Fort Omaha balloon school cadets were killed, 18 seriously injured, two probably fatally, and 25 others slightly burned when a big 35,000 cubic foot
sausage balloon exploded in its hangar last night. The dead are believed to be Private John E. Davis and Vincent L. Beall. The two men were burned and charred beyond recognition. A lock of red hair on one escaped the flames and a silver ring on the other was not disfigured. Although Colonel Hersey's official statement said the explosion probably was caused by static electricity from the balloon's silken sides rubbing together, it is generally reported by witnesses that there were two explosions, started when gas was being transferred from a nurse balloon to the sausage in the hangar."
;2 May:Lieut. James S. Ennis, of
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
and Cadet Paul Herriott, of
Oakland, California
Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast of the United States, West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third ...
, are killed when their airplane falls at
Hicks Field, located NNW of
Saginaw, Texas, "while doing a straight nose dive. They fell 150 feet." Herriott was formerly secretary to Senator
Hiram Johnson of California, which post he resigned to enter the aviation service.
The Aviation Archaeology database does not list this accident.
Another news account lists the victim as James Ed Ennis, and notes that Herriott, under Johnson's administration as governor of California, "was a member of the state board of control. He was a newspaper man and was widely known throughout the state."
;2 May: "
EL CENTRO
El Centro (Spanish for "The Center") is a city and county seat of Imperial County, California, United States. El Centro is the largest city in the Imperial Valley, the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the core urban are ...
, May 3. - Unable to right himself from a nose dive a cadet flyer from the
North Island Aviation school, whose name was withheld, landed in a heap near the
Coyote mountains
The Coyote Mountains are a small mountain range in San Diego and Imperial Counties in southern California.''El Cajun, California,'' 30x60 Minute Topographic Quanrangle, USGS, 1979 The Coyotes form a narrow ESE trending wide range with a length ...
in this county, late last night and sustained a sprained ankle. With considerable pluck the aviator crawled on his hands and knees to the
San Diego and Arizona railway
The San Diego and Arizona Railway was a short line U.S. railroad founded by entrepreneur John D. Spreckels, and dubbed "The Impossible Railroad" by engineers of its day due to the immense logistical challenges involved. It linked San Diego, ...
grading camp, two miles distant, where he received medical attention. Early today assistants from North Island, together with a captain, arrived here and attempting to land after flying the machine from the mountains the captain who was piloting the machine, came to grief by smashing into the brush, breaking one wing. He, however, escaped unhurt. A truck later transported the broken plane to
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
". The Aviation Archaeology database has no listing for this accident.
;3 May: "
SAN DIEGO
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, May 3. - Flying Cadet Nicholas C. Healy was instanttly
'sic''killed and Cadet Hanley sustained a broken ankle as a result of an airplane accident near
La Jolla at 4:50 o'clock this afternoon. According to reports from La Jolla, the airplane fell in a spinning nose dive from an altitude of about 500 feet after the cadets had made a forced landing for some unknown reason, and started up again..
'sic'' O'Hanley hails from
Garden City,
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
." Myron Emmett O'Hanley and Nicholas C. Healy are listed as the crew of
Curtiss JN-4D, ''SC-978'', of the Signal Corps Aviation School,
Rockwell Field
Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California.
This airfield ...
, which suffered a stall / spin and crashed near La Jolla this date, by the Aviation Archaeology database.
;4 May:"By
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
to THE SUN
BABYLON
''Bābili(m)''
* sux, 𒆍𒀭𒊏𒆠
* arc, 𐡁𐡁𐡋 ''Bāḇel''
* syc, ܒܒܠ ''Bāḇel''
* grc-gre, Βαβυλών ''Babylṓn''
* he, בָּבֶל ''Bāvel''
* peo, 𐎲𐎠𐎲𐎡𐎽𐎢 ''Bābiru''
* elx, 𒀸𒁀𒉿𒇷 ''Babi ...
, N. Y., May 4. - Ensign Spencer T. Alden of
Fort Wayne
Fort Wayne is a city in and the county seat of Allen County, Indiana, United States. Located in northeastern Indiana, the city is west of the Ohio border and south of the Michigan border. The city's population was 263,886 as of the 2020 Censu ...
, Indiana, wask illed
'sic''and Philip P. Mooser, student aviator of
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
, was seriously injured when a naval hydro-airplane which they were operating, 'side-slipped' 500 feet and fell into
Great South bay
The Great South Bay is a lagoon situated between Long Island and Fire Island, in the State of New York. It is about long and has an average depth of 4 feet 3 inches and is 20 feet at its deepest. It is protected from the Atlantic Ocean by Fire Is ...
'sic''near
Fire Island
Fire Island is the large center island of the outer barrier islands parallel to the South Shore of Long Island, in the U.S. state of New York.
Occasionally, the name is used to refer collectively to not only the central island, but also Long ...
inlet today." "
BAY SHORE
Bay Shore is a hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) in the Town of Islip, New York, United States. It is situated on the South Shore of Long Island, adjoining the Great South Bay. The population of the CDP was 29,244 at the time of the 2020 ...
,
L. I., 4 May. - One aviator was killed and another seriously injured when a naval hydro-aeroplane 'side-slipped' and fell 300 feet into Great South Bay, near Bay Shore today. Ensign Spencer T. Alden, aged 25 years, a flying instructor, whose home is at Fort Wayne, Ind., was killed. His skull was crushed. Phillip P. Mooser, aged 24, of Boston, a student aviator, is suffering from a fractured skull and other injuries. Mooser was pulled out of the wreckage within three minutes and the prompt use of a
pulmotor saved his life. Alden's body was not recovered until minutes later. Alden's father was at the stattion
'sic''here when his son's body was brought in. He and Mrs. Alden arrived here yesterday to visit their son."
;4 May: "By
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
to THE SUN
ARCADIA
Arcadia may refer to:
Places Australia
* Arcadia, New South Wales, a suburb of Sydney
* Arcadia, Queensland
* Arcadia, Victoria
Greece
* Arcadia (region), a region in the central Peloponnese
* Arcadia (regional unit), a modern administrative un ...
, Fla., May 4. - Lieut. S. T. Valentine of
New York city
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
,
'sic''attached to the
army aviation school
An Army Aviation School is a military Military education and training, educational establishment responsible for the training and development of the personnel and equipment of the aviation element in those army, armies that have a separate Army av ...
near here, was killed instantly today when the airplane in which he was flying fell approximately 2000 feet."
;5 May:"
NEW YORK
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, May 9. - Two naval aviators who disappeared off the
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
coast May 5 arrived here today aboard an American steamer. They were: Lieutenant Arthur Laverents of
Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...
, Wyo.(;) O. C. Cotton, mechanician. They had been picked up after nearly 30 hours of battling for their lives on a stormy sea that threatened to wreck their hydro-aeroplane. They were faint from hunger and the knowledge that the water was infested with sharks added to their mental agony. They were nearly 60 miles off shore when rescued."
;8 May: "
CAMP MILLS, Hempstead, New York, HEMPSTEAD,
L. I., May 8. - Cadet John D. Ervin, of West Point, Mississippi, West Point, Miss., was instantly killed and two other aviators were injured when two airplanes collided at Roosevelt Field (airport), Hempstead Plains today. Cadet R. E. Jeremy, who was in the machine with Ervin, was so seriously injured that he can only live a few hours. His home is at Emporia, Kansas, Emporia, Kansas. Cadet J. R. Vidmer, driver of the other airplane, had his left leg broken, and was otherwise injured. The two machines collided at high speed and fell two hundred feet. R. E. Jeremy was so seriously injured that he can only live a few hours. His home is at Emporia, Kansas." The Aviation Archaeology database shows
Curtiss JN-4A or JN-4D, ''SC-1320'', with the pilot listed as both Julian D. Vidmer and as J. W. Widmer, colliding with Curtiss JN-4A or JN-4D, ''SC-1329'', flown by John B. Ervin, who is described as killed, seven miles from
Mineola, New York.
Joe Baugher shows ''1320'' and ''1329'' as delivered as JN-4As then converted to JN-4Ds.
;9 May: "Lawton, Oklahoma, LAWTON, Okla., May 9. - Lieut. George Sherman, student officer at Post Field, Post field school for aerial observers, was killed late today when an army airplane in which he was making a flight fell 300 feet. The pilot was only slightly injured." The Aviation Archaeology database lists George Leslie Sherman as being killed in the takeoff crash of a Curtiss JN-4H, serial unknown, due to engine failure, at Post Field,
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost .
The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...
, Oklahoma, this date.
;9 May: "By
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
to THE SUN San Antonio, Texas, SAN ANTONIO, May 9. - In an airplane accident six miles from here at 8 o'clock tonight one man was killed and another seriously injured. Authorities at the hospital at
Fort Sam Houston where the injured man and the body of the dead airman were taken, refused to make public their names." The Aviation Archaeology database lists no accident in the San Antonio area for this date, or by this news item's dateline, although an accident at
Kelly Field
Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting.
In ...
, Texas, is shown occurring on 10 May.
;9 May
:U.S. Army Maj. Harold Melville Clark accomplishes first three-island flight in the Hawaiian Islands when he and mechanic Sgt. Robert Gray depart from Fort Kamehameha in a Curtiss R-6 of the 6th Aero Squadron, make a stop in Maui, and then continue to the island of Hawaii (island), Hawaii. Clark encounters fog and darkness over the island, causing him to crash in the jungle near Hilo. Two days after the crash, Clark and Gray emerge from the Hawaiian jungle unhurt. According to Harold Richards in "The History of Army Aviation in Hawaii", Clark accomplished another "first" on this flight as he had agreed to deliver two letters from Oahu residents to their relatives on Hawaii. After emerging from the jungle, Clark delivers the letters to their intended recipients. Thus, Clark carried the first letters by airmail in the Hawaiian Islands.
;10 May
or 11 May:
[International News Service, "Aviator Plunges 1200 Feet to Death After Nose Dive", ''Los Angeles Evening Herald'', Los Angeles, California, Saturday 11 May 1918, Volume XLIII, Number 164, page 2.] "
FORT WORTH
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...
, Tex., May 11. - Cadet Harry J. Myers failed to come out of a spinning nose dive with his airplane and is dead today after a plunge of 1200 feet to earth. Myers, whose home was in Bucyrus, Ohio, Bucyrus, O., had been training about two months."
The Aviation Archaeology database lists Myers as crashing in Curtiss JN-4B, ''AS-824'', at Hicks Field, Taliaferro Field, Texas, on 10 May.
This serial maybe incorrect as it does not tie up to a JN-4B, according to Joe Baugher.
;11 May:
Curtiss JN-4HT, ''SC-38059'',
suffers a stall/spin condition after an engine failure and crashes at Ellington Air Force Base, Ellington Field, Houston, Texas, Houston, Texas, killing pilot Louis Eddy Davis.
"Says yesterday's San Francisco Examiner, Examiner: 'Lieutenant Louis E. Davis, who died at Houston, Texas, Friday from injuries sustained in a fall from his aeroplane Thursday, before the war used to spend his winters in California. His father, who is owner and editor of the Bloomington, Illinois, Bloomington The Pantagraph, Pantograph,
'sic''brought his son here as a youth to regain his health. The young man resided on his father's ranch near Santa Cruz, California, Santa Cruz, and was an occasional visitor to San Francisco, California, San Francisco. He married Miss Styletta Kane of Watsonville, California, Watsonville last August at the home of Mrs. Edward White, wife of the commissioner of immigration in this city.'"
;14 May :"WITH THE AMERICAN ARMY IN FRANCE, May 14. - Falling through the clouds an American airplane crashed to earth two kilometers behind the American lines in the Toul, France, Toul sector late this afternoon, killing both the pilot and the observer." The Aviation Archaeology database lists a Sopwith, ''5382'', of the 2d Aviation Instruction Center, Charleville-Mézières, Mezieres, France, flown by B. C. Hopper, crashing after suffering a stall / spin condition this date.
These two accounts may be the same accident.
;14 May: "London, LONDON, May 22. - Second Lieut, H. W. Preston of the Royal Air Force, British air force, son of Robert K. Preston of Chicago, Illinois, Chicago, was killed on May 14 while flying in England."
;16 May :"
WASHINGTON
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
, May 16. - The post-office department was informed that the postal plane which left
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
today for Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, piloted by Lieut. Stephen Bonsat
'sic''was smashed in making a landing at Bridgeton, New Jersey, Bridgeton, New Jersey. The aviator was not hurt. The aviator, the message said, lost his way and in attempting a landing ran into a fence." Stephen Bonsal was one of the Army pilots selected by Major Reuben H. Fleet to initiate air mail service between New York and Washington, D.C. via Philadelphia beginning on 15 May 1918. Curtiss JN-4HMs were used at the outset.
;16 May:"By
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
to THE SUN
WASHINGTON
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
, May 16. - Aviation accidents at American fields took a toll of 12 lives in the two weeks ending May 8, the United States Department of War, war department reported today. Twenty-nine flying fields are now being operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps, army air service in the United States. Four other fields, Payne Field, Payne, Souther Field, Souther, March Air Reserve Base, March and Mather Air Force Base, Mather, will soon be opened for flying instruction, increasing the total to 33."
;17 May:"
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, May 18 – Captain Antonio Silvio Resnati of the Corpo Aeronautico Militare, Royal Italian Flying Corps and pilot of several of the Caproni Ca.3 (1916), Caproni planes, was killed in a fall at Roosevelt Field (airport), Mineola Field yesterday. Improper judgement of his take-off speed, combined with a side-slip while at an altitude of about 50 ft. caused the fall. Captain Resnati was 25 years old and first came into prominence last September when he attained an altitude of 17,000 ft at Langley Air Force Base, Langley field. Later he made a flight from that field to
Mineola carrying nine passengers in 4 hr. 2 min. Captain Resnati met his death on the eve of an attempt to fly across the Atlantic in a new giant Caproni which was being especially built for the trial." The Aviation Archaeology database confirms Resnati's crash in a Caproni at
Hazelhurst Field.
Resnati’s funeral is held in St. Patrick's Cathedral (Manhattan), St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City on 31 May, with Captain Hugo d'Annunzio and Sergeant Gian Felice Gino flying over in a Caproni from Hazelhurst Field, which drops flowers. Resnati was a native of Milan, Italy, Milan. His body is returned to Italy by sea.
;19 May
:First prototype Sopwith Salamander, ''E5429'', crashes during test program while with No. 65 Squadron RAF, No. 65 Squadron when the pilot has to avoid a tender crossing the aerodrome responding to another crash.
;3 June
:One Zeppelin-Staaken R.VI, a four-engined Imperial Germany, German
biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
strategic bomber, modified as a float-equipped seaplane for the Marine-Fliegerabteilung (Imperial German Naval Air Service), with the designation Type L, serial ''1432'', using Maybach engines, first flown on 5 September 1917, crashes during testing on this date.
;4 June:"Montgomery, Alabama, MONTGOMERY, Ala., June 4. - Aviation Cadet George O. Mills of Jersey City, New Jersey, was killed late today when his plane caught fire and fell 2000 feet near Taylor Field (Alabama), Taylor field. [''sic'']" The Aviation Archaeology database lists a crash by George Atles Mills in an unidentified airframe at Taylor Field this date.
;4 June:"
HOUSTON
Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...
, Tex., June 4. - Private John Earner of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia was killed and Lieut. Elmer N. May slightly injured today at
Ellington field 'sic''when their airplane became unmanageable in the air and crashed to the ground." The Aviation Archaeology database lists
Curtiss JN-4D, ''AS-2941'', piloted by May, as stalling and spinning into the ground 4 miles W of LaPorte, Texas, LaPorte, Texas.
;4 June:"San Antonio, Texas, SAN ANTONIO, Tex., June 4. - Second Lieut. Joseph John O'Mally, age 26, of Albany, Missouri, Albany, Missouri, was instantly killed here today when his airplane went into a tail spin and could not be righted. A companion whose name was not disclosed by the authorities, escaped unhurt." The Aviation Archaeology database lists
Curtiss JN-4D, ''SC-3255'', flown by Joseph John O'Malley, as spinning in at Brooks Air Force Base, Brooks Field this date.
;4 June: The Aviation Archaeology database lists
Curtiss JN-4D, ''SC-3300'', flown by Warren C. Shankle, as crashing at Brooks Air Force Base, Brooks Field, Texas, this date, after a stall/spin. The accident was non-fatal.
;4 June:"By
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
to THE SUN
SAN DIEGO
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, June 4. - Civilian Instructor Stanley Coyle, 27 years old, Coudersport, Pennsylvania, and Flying Cadet Elwyn Chapman, 27, of Brookline, Massachusetts, Brookline, Massachusetts, were killed today when the airplane in which they were flying grazed another machine about 200 feet above
Rockwell field
Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California.
This airfield ...
,
'sic''North Island, and fell into a spinning nose dive to the ground. Both machines were nearing the landing place when the accident occurred. Coyle's airplane crashed to the earth, while the other, driven by a lieutenant, managed to glide safely. Chapman suffered fractures of both legs, his left arm and his jaw. He was taken to the hospital at Fort Rosecrans. The young cadet died in the hospital early this evening." Stanley V. Coyle was flying
Curtiss JN-4D, Field No. 234, when he struck JN-4D, Field No. 154, piloted by J. E. Read.
;8 June
:First prototype Handley Page V/1500 bomber, ''E4104'', powered by tandem pairs of Rolls-Royce Eagle engines, first flown on 22 May 1918, crashes on thirteenth flight while piloted by Capt. Vernon E. G. Busby when all four engines quit at 1,000 feet altitude (300 m), possibly due to fuel starvation. Pilot attempts turn back to airfield but stalls and spins in. Four riding in the forward fuselage are killed on impact, two in rear rescued before airframe is consumed by fire, but one dies later of injuries. As aircraft was destroyed by post-crash fire, no determination could be made of cause of accident. Although two V/1500s of No. 166 Squadron RAF, 166 Squadron are ready for a mission on 8 November 1918, bad weather cancels raid, and with the armistice signed on 11 November 1918 the type never flies operationally.
;19 June
:Lt. Frank Stuart Patterson, son and nephew of the co-founders of National Cash Register, is killed in the crash of his Airco DH.4, DH.4M, ''AS-32098'', at Wilbur Wright Field during a flight test of a new mechanism for synchronizing machine gun and propeller, when a tie rod breaks during a dive from , causing the wings to separate from the aircraft. Wishing to recognize the contributions of the Patterson family (owners of NCR Corporation, NCR) the area of Wright Field east of Huffman Dam (including Wilbur Wright Field, Fairfield Air Depot, and the Huffman Prairie) is renamed Patterson Field on 6 July 1931, in honor of Lt. Patterson.
;19 June: "
FORT WORTH
Fort Worth is the fifth-largest city in the U.S. state of Texas and the 13th-largest city in the United States. It is the county seat of Tarrant County, covering nearly into four other counties: Denton, Johnson, Parker, and Wise. According ...
, Tex., June 19. - Lieut. H. C. Kelly, flying instructor at Benbrook, Texas, Benbrook, was killed this afternoon in a crash. The cadet he was instructing escaped uninjured." The Aviation Archaeology database lists
Curtiss JN-4D, Field No. 118, flown by Harold Clifford Kelly, from Benbrook Field, Carruthers Field, crashing 3.5 miles NE of the field.
;20 June:"Memphis, Tennessee, MEMPHIS, June 20. - Losing control of his airplane while attempting a landing, Cadet Flyer H. W. McClannahan, of Tennessee, fell several hundred feet at Naval Support Activity Mid-South, Park field,
'sic'' Millington, Tennessee, Millington, Tennessee, today and was killed.
[Wire service, "Four Aviators Are Killed in Three Mishaps", ''The San Bernardino Daily Sun'', San Bernardino, California, Friday 21 June 1918, Volume XLVIII, Number 97, page 1.] The Aviation Archaeology database lists Harvey H. McClanahan as crashing at Park Field in
Curtiss JN-4A, serialled either ''SC-1593'' or ''SC-1595'', this date,
while Joe Baugher identifies the airframe involved as ''1595''.
;20 June: "Montgomery, Alabama, MONTGOMERY, Ala., June 20. - Second Lieut. Halbert Clark, of
Washington
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
, District of Columbia, was killed, and Cadet Aviator Milton Renard Erdman, was injured today near Taylor Field (Alabama), Taylor field,
'sic''by the fall of an airplane in which they were flying at 800 feet."
The Aviation Archaeology database does not list this accident.
;20 June:"Aberdeen, Mississippi, ABERDEEN, Miss., June 20. - Lieut. Leo M. Hines, Ellinwood, Kansas, Ellenwood,
'sic''Kansas, and Lieut. Francis M. Roberts, of Watertown (city), New York, Watertown, New York, are dead, and Lieut. Robert C. Moore, Elmwood Place, Ohio, Elmwood Palace,
'sic''Ohio, may die as the result of an airplane collision today at an altitude of 1,700 feet near Payne Field, Payne field."
'sic'' The Aviation Archaeology database lists Francis W. Roberts, in
Curtiss JN-4D, ''AS-39260'', and Robert G. Moore, in JN-4D, ''AS-39236'', crashing a half mile N of Payne Field, NNE of West Point, Mississippi, West Point, Mississippi, this date.
Joe Baugher's serial lists show these two aircraft to be JN-4CAN Canucks.
;21 June: "St. Louis, Missouri, ST. LOUIS, June 21. - Lieut. James R. Wheeler, 28, an aviator of this city, was killed at Scott Air Force Base, Scott field
'sic''at Belleville, Illinois, Belleville, Ill., near here, today when his airplane plunged 500 feet to the earth. Cadet John M. Raffter of St. Paul, Minnesota, St. Paul, riding with Wheeler, escaped with slight injuries. Lieut. Wheeler's machine plunged to the flying field when it failed to come out of a
tail spin
''Tail Spin'' (also known as ''Tailspin'') is a 1939 aviation film. The screenplay was written by Frank Wead and directed by Roy Del Ruth. It was based on the book, "Women with Wings: A novel of the modern day aviatrix" (Ganesha Publishing, 193 ...
, which he had attempted at too low an altitude." The Aviation Archaeology database does not list this accident.
;5 July: "Paris, France, PARIS, July 5. - (Agence France-Presse, Havas Agency.) – Two American aviators were killed today when the machine in which they were flying at a low altitude fell to the ground in flames. The airmen were Lieut. William Dudley Robbens and Second Lieut. John Wilford of the American army. The bodies of the aviators were burned to a crisp." The ''Air Service Journal'' on 11 July carries essentially this same news release under the heading "DIED OF ACCIDENT".
[Editors, "DIED OF ACCIDENT", ''Air Service Journal'', Gardner, Moffat Co., Inc., New York, New York, 11 July 1918, Volume III, Number 2, page 67.]
;7 July: "
NEW YORK
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
New York may also refer to:
Film and television
* '' ...
, July 8. - Flight Sergeant Gino Gianfelce,
'sic''one of Italy's most famous aviators, instructor of Resnati [,] D'Annunzio, and other well-known airmen of Italy, is dead here today, the result of a nose dive he attempted while flying in a fast scout machine slightly more than 300 feet above the ground – a trick he often had warned his pupils against." The Aviation Archaeology database lists Gino Gianfelce
'sic''crashing at the Signal Corps Aviation School at
Hazelhurst Field,
Mineola, New York, on 7 July in an unidentified airframe after experiencing a stall/spin condition.
The ''Air Service Journal'' carries this on 11 July: "Sgt. Gianfelice Gino,
'sic''R. I. F. C. att. A. S. S. C. - Sergt. Gianfelice Gino,
'sic''Corpo Aeronautico Militare, Royal Italian Flying Corps, att A. S. S. C., who was training American aviators to fly Caproni Ca.3 (1916), Caproni machines, dived to death at Hazelhurst Field July 7. Sergeant Gino was considered one of the best pilots of the Italian Flying Corps and had instructed practically all the noted Italian pilots and had made several world's records. He had just successfully tested an American built Caproni Ca.5 (1917), Caproni and carried William L. Kenly, Major General Kenly, Division of Military Aeronautics, Secretary of War, Chief of Military Aeronautics, as one of the passengers. After landing he took up a Ansaldo SVA, S. V. A. scout to give an exhibition of acrobatics close to the ground and after half an hour misjudged his distance from the ground when going into a nose-dive and was unable to straighten out before striking the ground."
The pilot's name is correctly Gian Felice Gino (9 May 1883 – 7 July 1918).
;8 July: "By
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
to THE SUN Belleville, Illinois, BELLEVILLE, Ill., July 8. - Lieut. Richard H. Fawcett, 22 years old of Alexandria, Virginia, Alexandria, Virginia, was instantly killed at 7 o'clock tonight and Cadet Lester H. Cox of New York City was slightly injured when an airplane went into a tail spin and fell 600 feet to the ground about two miles southeast of Scott Air Force Base, Scott field
'sic''here." The Aviation Archaeology database has no listing for this accident.
;9 July
:The fourth-highest-scoring British ace of the Great War, Maj. James McCudden, James Thomas Byford McCudden, is killed when he side-slips into the ground while trying to return to the airfield at Auxi-le-Château after the engine of his S.E.5a cuts out. McCudden had taken off to fly to his new command, No. 60 Squadron RAF. He had 57 aerial victories.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 113.]
;15 July: "Buffalo, New York, BUFFALO, N. Y., July 15. - Aviator F. S. Hale, Quincy, Illinois, Quincy, Ills., and Student Homer B. Sharpe, Washington, D.C., Washington, D. C., fell 100 feet in an airplane at Curtiss field today. Hale was dead when picked up and Sharpe was removed to the Erie County Medical Center, Erie county hospital with a fractured skull. It is believed the motor stopped while the machine was in the air."
;Between 27 July and 1 August
:Third prototype Sopwith Salamander, ''E5431'', crashes in France before a newly-applied disruptive camouflage scheme can be evaluated.
;28 July
:Royal Air Force Sopwith Dolphin ''E4449'' flown by Tone Bayetto crashed in Hampshire, England when the wings folded back and it dived into the ground from 200 feet.
;1 August: "St. Louis, Missouri, ST. LOUIS, Mo., Aug. 2. - An aviator at Scott Air Force Base, Scott field,
'sic''whose name the officers would not disclose, fell 1,500 feet in his machine yesterday evening and suffered only bruises, it became known today. The plane was demolished." The Aviation Archeology database does not list this accident.
;2 August:
Curtiss JN-4D, ''AS-3888'', crashes at Post Field,
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost .
The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...
, Oklahoma, killing the pilot.
"
WICHITA FALLS, Tex., Aug. 2. - Lieut. W. L. Carson, of
Call field
Call Field is a former World War I military airfield, located southwest of Wichita Falls, Texas. It operated as a training field for the United States Army Air Service between 1917 until 1919. The airfield was List of airfields of the Training ...
,
'sic''was killed in a fall from an airplane at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, this morning, according to a telegram received at Call field this afternoon. Lieutenant Carson flew to Fort Sill this morning. The report from Fort Sill says that Carson was alone in the machine when it fell. His home was at Hood River, Oregon, Hood River, Oregon." Apparently the report that the pilot fell FROM the plane should have read fell WITH the plane.
[Editors, "Casualties", ''Air Service Journal'', The Gardner-Moffat Company, Inc., New York, New York, 8 August 1918, Volume III, Number 6, page 217.]
;2 August: "Dallas, Texas, DALLAS, Tex., Aug. 2. - Lieut. Robinson E. Bidwell, a flying instructor at Dallas Love Field, Love field,
'sic''whose parents reside at Red Bluff, California, Red Bluff, California, was killed today at Rylie, Dallas, Rylie, nine miles south of Dallas, when his airplane burst into flames at an altitude of about 2,000 feet and fell. When about 500 feet from earth Lieutenant Bidwell, who was flying solo, jumped from his plane and was killed by the fall. The cause of the machine taking fire is not known. Lieutenant Bidwell came to Dallas about a month ago. His was the third fatality among Lpve field aviators since the field was established, more than a year ago." Curtiss JN-4D, Curtiss JN-4HB bombing trainer,
''SC-38452'', was destroyed.
;2 August:
Standard J-1
The Standard J is a two-seat basic trainer two-bay biplane produced in the United States from 1916 to 1918, powered by a four-cylinder inline Hall-Scott A-7a engine. It was constructed from wood with wire bracing and fabric covering. The J-1 ...
, ''AS-1918'', crashes and is written off at March Air Reserve Base, March Field, California.
"By
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
to THE SUN Riverside, California, RIVERSIDE, Aug. 2. - William L. Ash, flying cadet at March field
'sic'' fell 1,000 feet in a
tail spin
''Tail Spin'' (also known as ''Tailspin'') is a 1939 aviation film. The screenplay was written by Frank Wead and directed by Roy Del Ruth. It was based on the book, "Women with Wings: A novel of the modern day aviatrix" (Ganesha Publishing, 193 ...
today and was seriously injured. He suffered a fractured leg and arm and puncture of the side. It is expected he will recover. Ash lived at Pittsburg, Kansas, Pittsburg, Kansas. It was the first serious accident at March field. Ash was making his second solo flight when he fell." The Aviation Archeology database lists the pilot as J. L. Ash.
;2 August: "
SAN DIEGO
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, Cal., Aug. 2 – Two serious airplane accidents are reported today by the
Rockwell field
Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California.
This airfield ...
'sic''aviation school at North Island, both accidents being caused by airplanes going into "Spin (aerodynamics), tail spins." Corporal Carl F. A. Christenson was killed instantly in the first accident, while he was flying with Lieut H. F. Cotton. Their machine went into a tail spin while over the Coronado, California, Coronado Tent City band pavilion at a height of 1,500 feet and dived into the
bay
A bay is a recessed, coastal body of water that directly connects to a larger main body of water, such as an ocean, a lake, or another bay. A large bay is usually called a Gulf (geography), gulf, sea, sound (geography), sound, or bight (geogra ...
. The lieutenant sustained minor injuries. Christenson came here from Norway or Sweden and gave the address of Mrs. Margaret McDonald, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, for emergency requirements. The second accident occurred near the Otay Mesa, San Diego, Otay mesa Brown Field Municipal Airport, flying base. Lieut. Clement R. Jacomini, flying instructor, was up with Lieutenant Miller, their machine taking a tail spin from a height of 150 feet. Miller escaped unhurt, and Jacomini sustained a dislocated hip and painful bruises. The Aviation Archeology database lists pilot Horace G. Cotton as crashing S of the Tent City, Coronado, in Curtiss JN-4B, ''AS-3094'', and Clement R. Jacomini crashing two miles from Otay mesa in
Curtiss JN-4D, ''SC-39876''.
The "Casualties" section of the 8 August 1918 issue of the ''Air Service Journal'' gives the spelling as Cristenson, and states also that Lieut. Jacomini, of
Pasadena
Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial district.
Its ...
, California, died of his injuries on 3 August 1918.
;10 August
:Lt. Erich Loewenhardt, third-highest-scoring German ace of the Great War, is KWF when the wheels of a Fokker D.VII flown by Lt. Alfred Wentz of ''
Jasta 11'' (also spelt Wenz in some sources) collide with the wing of his own Fokker D.VII, causing it to crash. He bails out but his chute fails to open. Lowenhardt, posted to JG.1, and flying with ''Jasta 10'' from July 1917, scored 53 victories before his death. Wentz successfully bails out of his stricken fighter.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 115.]
;13 August
:Jarvis Offutt, Jarvis Jennes Offutt (1894–1918), becomes the first fatality among natives of Omaha, Nebraska in World War I, when his Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5, S.E.5 crashed during a training flight near Valheureux, France, and succumbs to his injuries. The Flying Field, Offutt Air Force Base#Fort Crook, Fort George Crook, Nebraska renamed Offutt Air Force Base#Offutt Field, Offutt Field, 6 May 1924.
;16 August
:Royal Navy Air Service airship, ''R23X class airship, R27'', destroyed in a hangar fire at RNAS Howden along with a makeshift SSZ class blimp and two SSZ class blimps, ''SSZ.38'' and ''SSZ.54''. One airman dies.
;19 August
:First of three crashes of new Fokker D.VIII, Fokker E.V. (''Eindekker V'', or monoplane five), six of which are delivered to ''Jasta 6'' of the Imperial German Air Service on 7 August, to occur in a week, kills ''Leutnant'' Emil Rolff when wing fails, and, like the Fokker Dr.I, Fokker Triplane before it, the type is grounded for investigation. Problem traced to shoddy workmanship at the Mecklenburg factory where defective wood spars, water damage to glued parts, and pins carelessly splintering the members instead of securing them are discovered. Upon return to service two months later, design is renamed the Fokker D.VIII in an effort to distance type's reputation as a killer. Rolff had scored the first kill in the type on 17 August.
;24 August
:U.S. Army Maj. William Roy Ream, the first flying surgeon of the
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
, becomes the first flight surgeon to die in an aircraft accident, at the Effingham, Illinois airport, out of Chanute Field, Illinois, when his aircraft stalls/spins and crashes.
Later in 1918, the Army renames the Aviation Field at what is now Naval Outlying Landing Field Imperial Beach, California, originally opened in 1917, as Ream Field.
;7 September :"By
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
to THE SUN – Mather Air Force Base, MATHER FIELD, Sacramento, Cal., Sept. 7. - Flying Cadets William G. Wilson, of Berkeley, California, and a son of J. Stitt Wilson, at one time a candidate for the socialist party for governor of California, and James H. Wilson. of Pueblo, Colorado, Pueblo, Colorado, met death today when their airplanes collided in the air. The accident occurred at the south end of the field. They were not related. Civilians who witnessed the collision said the airplanes came together head on. One of the airplanes tumbled downward and crashed to the earth, while the other seemed to be descending for a landing, witnesses said. William G. Wilson was killed instantly. He suffered a fractured skull and internal injuries. James E. Wilson was removed to the base hospital where he died about 25 minutes after the accident. He suffered internal injuries and his thigh was injured. The bodies of the two cadets were taken to an undertaking establishment in Sacramento where they will remain pending instructions from the relatives. They were draped with Flag of the United States, American flags. The cadets were flying at an altitude of about 3,500 feet when the airplanes came together. The accident occurred near Walsh station, a short distance from the southern end of the field. The wrecked airplanes fell to earth at points about a half mile apart."
Curtiss JN-4Ds AS-''3673'' and AS-''3995'' written off in this accident.
;11 September
:Third prototype Vickers Vimy, ''B9954'', crashes during testing – stalls on takeoff with full load at
Martlesham Heath, bomb load explodes, pilot killed.
;25 September
:Chief Machinist's Mate Francis E. Ormsbee went to the rescue of two men in an aircraft which had crashed in Pensacola Bay, Florida. He pulled out the gunner and held him above water until help arrived, then made repeated dives into the wreckage in an unsuccessful attempt to rescue the pilot. For his heroism, Chief Ormsbee was awarded the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
.
;21 October: Burgess Company, Burgess-built
Hispano-Suiza
Hispano-Suiza () is a Spanish automotive–engineering company. It was founded in 1904 by Marc Birkigt and Damian Mateu as an automobile manufacturer and eventually had several factories in Spain and France that produced luxury cars, aircraft en ...
-powered
Curtiss N-9, ''A2468'', is written off ("crashed to complete wreck") in Pensacola Bay, Florida, but with no injuries.
;5 November: 1st Lt. Byron Bilderback, 27th Aero Squadron, 1st Pursuit Group, is forced down by engine failure of his SPAD XIII near Montfaucon-d'Argonne, Montfaucon, France. He reports to the 27th Squadron C.O.: "Started on ‘A’ Flight patrol at 15:00 H. Motor ran well until about 16:00 H when turning at 2100 revs it suddenly grabbed and prop stopped instantly. I was flying at 500 meters and had no choice of landing place. Landed in shell holes, etc. Machine is a total washout. I brought back the clock and altimeter."
1919
;1 February
:Flt. Lt. Frank Lloyd, attached to No. 61 Squadron RAF, left
Rochford Aerodrome,
Essex
Essex () is a county in the East of England. One of the home counties, it borders Suffolk and Cambridgeshire to the north, the North Sea to the east, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent across the estuary of the River Thames to the south, and G ...
, in a Sopwith Camel biplane accompanied by another aircraft. His plane subsequently was flying very low over Westcliff-on-Sea, and just missing house roofs, it hit a trolley standard, then swerved and hit a large tree, removing many branches, turned over and crashed to the ground in allotments by Fairmead Avenue and burst into flames. Various people rushed to rescue Lloyd but he died of multiple injuries. He had been married just two weeks.
;4 February
:First of three Bristol F.2C Badger prototypes, ''F3495'', suffers crash landing when its ABC Dragonfly I nine-cylinder radial engine fails during the type's first take-off due to an air lock in the fuel feed. Pilot Cyril Uwins unhurt.
[Mason, Francis K., "The British Fighter since 1912", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1992, Library of Congress card number 92-63026, , page 146.] Aircraft is subsequently rebuilt and flown.
;9 April
:Second of only two Bristol M.R.1 metal-covered, two-seat biplanes built, ''A5178'', powered by 180 hp Wolseley Viper engine, flown by Frank Barnwell, Capt. Frank Barnwell, strikes pine tree on approach to
RAE Farnborough's North Gate and is written off.
;2 May
:A U.S. Army seaplane en route on afternoon flight from Balboa, Panama to France Field, near present-day Colón, Panama, with three aviators on board, suffers engine failure shortly after departure. Pilot Lt. J. R. L. Hitt attempts landing on Miraflores Lake but aircraft falls short and hits the front of the Miraflores (Panama), Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal at ~1700 hrs. Airframe crumples "like a house of cards", according to account published by the ''Panama Star & Herald'' on 3 May. Hitt, Lt. Thomas Cecil Tonkin, and Maj. Harold Melville Clark (4 October 1890 – 2 May 1919) are all thrown from the aircraft into the water of the lock. "Lieutenant Tonkin was undoubtedly killed instantly by the twisting timbers of the machine. ...Major Clark sank to the bottom of the lock, and it's not known whether he was killed in the crash or whether he drowned", stated the article. Hitt was severely injured in the crash, but was rescued by bystanders. The ''Panama Star & Herald'' reported that a diver was sent to retrieve Clark's body. The Army rules his death as an accident due to internal injuries caused by "aeroplane traumatism", according to a United States Department of War, War Department report on Clark's death dated 8 May 1919, and awards his mother $10,000. Clark is buried 29 May 1919, with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery. Clark had made the first-ever inter-island flight in the Hawaiian Islands on 15 March 1918, in a
Curtiss N-9 of the 6th Aero Squadron. Fort Stotsenburg, established in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
in 1902, is renamed Clark Air Base with the establishment of the U.S. Air Force in 1947.
;26 May
:Monstrous Royal Air Force three-wing, six-engine Tarrant Tabor bomber, ''F1765'', attempts first flight at Royal Aircraft Establishment,
Farnborough Farnborough may refer to:
Australia
* Farnborough, Queensland, a locality in the Shire of Livingstone
United Kingdom
* Farnborough, Hampshire, a town in the Rushmoor district of Hampshire, England
** Farnborough (Main) railway station, a railw ...
, noses over on lift-off, forward fuselage crushed back to the wing, both crew, Capts. F. G. Dunn and P. T. Rawlings killed. No second prototype is ever built.
![Tarrant Tabor 3](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1e/Tarrant_Tabor_3.jpg)
;8 June
:Biplane bomber, Cierva BCD3 (Barcala-Cierva-Diaz), designed by Juan de la Cierva, reminiscent of the German Gotha, powered by a trio of 220 hp Hispano Suiza engines, called ''El Cangrejo'' (The Crab), is destroyed on a test flight when it stalls close to the ground. Pilot, Capt. Julio Rios Argiieso (also reported as Angueso), is shaken up but survives. Project is abandoned.
;2 July
:
U.S. Navy blimp C class blimp, C-8 explodes while landing at Camp Holabird, Maryland, injuring ~80 adults and children who were watching it. Windows in homes a mile away are shattered by the blast.
;15 July
:
Royal Navy
The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...
North Sea class airship ''N.S.11'' burns over the
North Sea
The North Sea lies between Great Britain, Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. An epeiric sea on the European continental shelf, it connects to the Atlantic Ocean through the English Channel in the south and the Norwegian S ...
off Norfolk, England, killing twelve.
[The New York Times, 16 July 1919, Wednesday, Page 1](_blank)
British Airship Burns with Crew; Twelve Lost When the NS-11 Falls Flaming Into the North Sea.
Helium for Flying; Non-flammable Gas May Yet Be Produced in Quantities and at a Cost Suited for Dirigibles. In the early hours of 15 July on what was officially supposed to be a mine-hunting patrol, she was seen to fly beneath a long "greasy black cloud" off Cley next the Sea on the Norfolk coast and a massive explosion was heard shortly after. A vivid glare lasted for a few minutes as the burning airship descended, and finally plunged into the sea after a second explosion. There were no survivors, and the findings of the official Court of Enquiry were inconclusive, but amongst other possibilities it was thought that a lightning strike may have caused the explosion.
[''Loss of N.S.11.'']
Warmsley, N. Retrieved on 5 April 2009.
;Summer
:Sole flying prototype of Curtiss 18-B two-bay biplane version of 18-T triplane trainer, USAAS ''40058'', 'P-86', crashes early in flight trials at
McCook Field
McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It was operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and its successor the United States Army Air Service from 1917 to 1927. It was named fo ...
,
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...
. Type not ordered into production. One non-flying prototype also delivered for static testing.
;1 August
:Top World War I Russian ace Aleksandr Kazakov (32 kills, but only 20 officially) is killed in the crash of what was probably a Sopwith Camel. On 1 August 1918 Kazakov became a major in the Royal Air Force and was appointed to be commanding officer in charge of an aviation squadron of the Slavo-British Allied Legion made up of Camels. After the British withdrawal from Russia which left the Russian White movement, White Army in a desperate situation, Kazakov died in an aircraft crash during an air show on this date which was performed to boost the morale of the Russian anti-Bolshevik troops. Most witnesses of the incident thought Kazakov committed suicide.
;10 August : Lts. Harold G. Peterson, pilot, and Paul H. Davis, observer-gunner, depart from Marfa Airport (original), Marfa Field, in the Big Bend (Texas), Big Bend area of Texas, on a routine Sunday morning patrol of the U.S.-Mexican border, in
Curtiss JN-4D, ''24146'', based at Fort Bliss, El Paso, Texas,
"Their mission was to patrol along the Rio Grande from Lajitas, Texas, Lajitas to Bosque Bonito and then land at Fort Bliss. Coming to the mouth of the Rio Conchos at Ojinaga, Chihuahua (opposite Presidio, Texas), they mistook the Conchos for the Rio Grande and followed it many miles into Mexico before being forced down by engine trouble. Thinking they were still on the Rio Grande, the airmen picked a spot on the "American" side of the river to land. The terrain was rough and the plane was wrecked. Having buried the machine-guns and ammunition to keep it out of the hands of bandits, Peterson and Davis started walking down the river, thinking they would come to the U.S. Cavalry outpost at Candelaria, Texas, Candelaria, Texas." It is assumed when they fail to arrive at Fort Bliss that they have either returned to Marfa, Texas, Marfa or had been forced down. A search is begun on 11 August as far south as Chihuahua City, but the flyers, caught in thick brush, are not seen when overflown on 12 August by a plane following the Conchos. Search continues until Sunday, 17 August, when word is received by Capt. Leonard F. ("Two-Gun") Matlack, commanding Troop K, 8th Cavalry Regiment, 8th Cavalry, at Candelaria, that the airmen are being held for ransom. "The flyers had been taken prisoner on Wednesday, August 13, by a Villista desperado named Jesus Renteria. The bandit sent the ransom note to a rancher at Candelaria, along with telegrams which he forced the airmen to write to their fathers and the Secretary of War, the Commanding General of the Southern Department, and the Commanding Officer of U.S. forces in the Big Bend District. Renteria demanded $15,000 not later than Monday, August 18, or the two Americans would be killed." The War Department authorizes the payment, and local ranchers subscribe to the full amount so that it can be disbursed from the Marfa National Bank. Negotiations through intermediaries see Captain Matlack crossing the border on Monday night to swap half the money for one American. All goes smoothly and in 45 minutes he returns with Lieutenant Peterson. But en route to the rendezvous with the other half of the ransom, Matlack overhears Renteria's men discussing killing both Americans once they have the money. At the meeting, Matlack pulls a gun, directs the Mexicans to tell Renteria to "go to hell", and, avoiding the ambush, rides back across the border with Lieutenant Davis. On Tuesday, 19 August, Capt. Matlack leads Troops C and K, 8th Cavalry, in pursuit of Renteria and his gang. Air Service planes scout ahead, and 1st Lts. Frank Estill and Russell H. Cooper spot three horsemen in a canyon ~12–15 miles W of Candelaria in late afternoon. When they close for a look, the riders fire on the DH.4. Estill makes a firing pass with his machine guns and Cooper opens up with his Lewis guns, killing one man, reportedly Renteria. The search for the gang continues until 23 August when, with the Mexican government protesting the invasion of its territory, American forces return to the U.S. The loss of JN-4D ''24146'' was recorded 13 August.
;21 August :Two U.S. Army officers of the 9th Bomb Squadron, 9th Corps Observation Squadron,
patrolling the border with Mexico on a flight from Calexico International Airport, Calexico Field to
Rockwell Field
Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California.
This airfield ...
, San Diego, California, become lost in a storm, and land their Airco DH.4, DH.4B on a beach at Refugio de Guadalupe
on Las Animas Bay in Baja California, Lower California. Lieutenants Cecil H. Connolly and Frederick D. Waterhouse survive for 19 days before they are murdered by Mexican fisherman for their pitiful belongings and their bodies buried. The destroyer USS Aaron Ward (DD-132), USS Aaron Ward is dispatched to retrieve the bodies and investigate the circumstances, returning the airmen’s remains to San Diego on 26 October 1919. The Governor of Baja California, Lower California, Esteban Cantú Jiménez, Esteban Cantu, declares that the aviators died either from thirst or were killed and their bodies partly dismembered by "ravenous" coyotes, both theories being rejected outright by Major R. S. Bratton, commander of the party that recovers the victims’ remains. Bratton asserts that the names of those involved in the murders are known both to him and to representatives of Gov. Cantu. Colonel H. L. Watson, commanding officer of Rockwell Field, states that the skull of one of the airmen had been fractured.
;4 October : Army Major Patrick Frissell is killed in a mid-air collision in an unknown type from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Aviation Repair Depot, at Indianapolis, Indiana, Indianapolis, Indiana, according to one source, at a location reported as both Port Jervis, New York, Port Jervis, New York,
and Binghamton, New York, Binghamton, New York. Another source states that he was killed when the Airco DH.4, DH-4 he was piloting struck a tree and crashed on Prospect Mountain (Warren County, New York), Prospect Mountain, near the southern end of Lake George (lake), New York, Lake George in New York State. Second Lieutenant Gerald E. Ballard, the aircraft’s observer, was seriously injured in the crash. Maj. Frissell and Lt. Ballard were en route from Binghamton to
Mineola, New York, to take part in a transcontinental air race. Frissell commanded the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Speedway Aviation Repair Depot at Indianapolis.
;5 October : Colonel Townsend F. Dodd, 33, commander of
Langley Field, Virginia, is killed in an air crash at Bustleton Field, Philadelphia, shortly after 1600 hrs., during preparations for the New York to San Francisco transcontinental air race. While attempting to land in heavy fog, the aircraft, Airco DH.4, DH.4, AS-24006,
at an altitude of 20 feet, strikes a tree. The engine tears loose and pins Dodd against the gas tank. "He was strangled to death by the heavy motor which rested on his neck." Machinist George E. Hess, flying with him, is uninjured.
[Special, "Col. Dodd, Our First Commissioned Aviator, Crushed to Death in an Airplane Accident," New York Times, Monday 6 October 1919.] On 1 May 1928 Remount Station #1 was named Dodd Army Airfield, the nation's first dedicated military airfield. Dodd Army Airfield was an airfield located within the current boundaries of Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. Dodd Field includes the area bounded on the north by Rittiman Road, on the west by Harry Wurzbach Memorial Highway, on the south by Winans (formerly Dashiell) Road and on the east by the Fort Sam Houston Reservation boundary. Dodd Field was designated in War Department General Order Number 5. Prior to deployment to Europe for World War I Dodd had served at the remount station and had been Commander of the Aviation Post when the 3rd Fighter Training Squadron, 3rd Aero Squadron was stationed there. He was buried in Arlington National Cemetery. Active flight operations were terminated in October 1931, although the official date of closure of Dodd Field as an aviation facility has not been determined.
;5 October: In an unrelated accident at Bustleton Field, Philadelphia, but within 15 minutes of Colonel Townsend F. Dodd’s fatal crash, four Army airmen are injured when their plane crashes in heavy fog. Major F. M. Davis, Captain Harry Douglas, Lieutenant C. R. Colt, and Harry R. Kashe, mechanic, are recovering in Frankford Hospital.
;7 October :"Eugene, Oregon, EUGENE, Ore., 7 Oct.. - Lieutenant Webb, of Eugene, was killed at Medford, Oregon, Medford today when his Airco DH.4, De Haviland [sic] plane fell to the earth. The motor stopped when the plane went into a tail spin. Sergeant McGinnis, who was with him, was seriously injured, but his chances for recovery are good."
;8 October : "Mineola, New York, MINEOLA,
L. I., 8 Oct.. - Benedict Crowell, United States Assistant Secretary of War, assistant secretary of war, narrowly escaped injury this afternoon when an airplane in which he was riding, fell 50 feet to the ground here and overturned. Both Crowell and his pilot, Maurice Cleary, were buried under the machine, but escaped with a shaking up. The accident occurred when Cleary tried to avoid striking a hangar. Crowell announced his intention at once of going up in another machine."
[Wire service, "Two Accidents Mar Air Flight," Riverside Daily Press, Riverside, California, Wednesday 8 October 1919, Volume XXXIV, Number 240, page 1.]
;8 October
:During the first (and only) transcontinental reliability and endurance test, an air race between Roosevelt Field, Long Island, New York and the Presidio of San Francisco, California, Brig. Gen. Lionel Charlton, Royal Air Force, the British Air Attaché, with Flight Lieutenant P. E. Traill, also of the embassy staff, the first to take off, hits a fence during a forced landing at Interlaken, New York, Interlaken, near Ithaca, New York in his Bristol F.2 Fighter, 2nd Lt. George C. McDonald (also reported as MacDonald)
[International News Service, "British Flyer Falls," Los Angeles Evening Herald, Los Angeles, California, Thursday 9 October 1919, Volume XLIV, Number 293, page 12.] hits a ditch when engine trouble in his unspecified type (probably a de Havilland) forces him down at Plymouth, Pennsylvania, and 1st Lt. D. B. Gish's DH-4 catches fire over Livingston County, New York, Livingston County in western New York state, and he makes an emergency landing near Canadice, New York, Canadice.
Neither he, nor his passenger, Capt. Paul de la Vergne of the French air service and French Air Attaché, are injured, but the aircraft is written off. A forced landing kills Sgt. W. H. Nevitt when the Liberty L-12 engine of the DH-4B piloted by Col. Gerald C. Brant (also reported as Brandt) fails after an oil line breaks. Plane plunges to the ground one mile N of Deposit (town), New York, Deposit, New York when power is lost on landing, killing Nevitt and injuring Brant. Brant was found with both arms and legs broken.
A DH.4 flown by Lt. H. D. Smith is wrecked near Lockport, New York, Lockport, New York. He and his passenger escape injury. Smith lost his bearings in a rain storm while en route from Rochester, New York, Rochester to Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, and landed in a field at the south end of Lockport at 1100 hrs. "In starting again the machine failed to clear an apple orchard and crashed to the ground. Lieutenant Smith and Corporal E. A. Nutell, his passenger, escaped unhurt. The machine was wrecked." Of entrants flying from the Presidio to New York, one DH-4B crashes attempting to land at Buena Vista Field near Salt Lake City, Utah, killing pilot Maj. Dana H. Crissy, commander of Mather Field, California, and his mechanic, SFC Virgil Thomas.
[Maurer Maurer, "Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919–1939", United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1987, , page 31.] The International News Service reported that Crissy fell into a nose spin endeavoring to land. "Crissy, say onlookers, made too sudden and sharp a turn as he was landing and because he was close to the ground could not pull his machine out of the spin." "Sergeant Thomas, who was an observer and a reserve military aviator, was killed with Maj. D. H. Crissy, pilot, when their plane fell into a small pond near the Buena Vista landing field on the outskirts of Salt Lake City. Crissy and Thomas were just completing the first lap of the international air derby and were preparing to land. Thomas was seen to wave to men on the field as the plane descended. Suddenly it fell, nose down, into a pond of mud and water, 150 feet below. Both were unconscious when they were taken from the pond, and died when they reached the hospital. Sergeant Thomas enlisted 18 Feb. 1918, in Los Angeles. He was 22 years old and recently obtained rating as a reserve military aviator. He was stationed at Mather field and was recently engaged in forest fire patrol work in Oregon." Grief stricken at news of the death of his son, "W. C. Thomas of 951 Fresno Street [Los Angeles], today sought information as to the disposition of the body. Mr. Thomas telegraphed the Salt Lake police chief and the military authorities at
Rockwell field
Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California.
This airfield ...
but received no answer. Today, through the Evening Herald, he endeavored to learn details of the accident and what was done with his son’s body." The flying field at the Presidio is subsequently named Crissy Field.
;9 October
:Continuing the cross-country contest, a DH-4B hits the side of a mountain W of Cheyenne, Wyoming, in a snow storm, killing 1st Lt. Edwin V. Vales and badly injuring 2nd Lt. William C. Goldsborough.
A wire service report lists the crash site as near Saratoga, Wyoming, Saratoga. "Wales’ mother lives in Los Angeles. Wales is said to have been connected with a Southern California moving picture company before entering the service." Word reached Rawlins, Wyoming, Rawlins that Wales died from his injuries and the cold a few hours after his plane struck Elk Mountain (Carbon County, Wyoming), Elk Mountain. Lt. Goldsborough walked several hours in search of aid. He "finally stumbled into the Paulson ranch and a rescuing party was sent out. The party found Wales dead." The body of Lt. Wales, accompanied by Lt. Goldsborough, arrived at
Cheyenne
The Cheyenne ( ) are an Indigenous people of the Great Plains. Their Cheyenne language belongs to the Algonquian language family. Today, the Cheyenne people are split into two federally recognized nations: the Southern Cheyenne, who are enroll ...
on 11 October. Goldsborough stated that the blizzard was so bad that they could not see 20 feet ahead when they struck the granite side of the mountain. "By a weird fate the mountain was the only elevation of more than 100 feet in an area of over 200 square miles and the unlucky Wales also missed by only a few feet the Covet Pass, which splits the mountain and through which he might have passed safely." Lt. A. M. Roberts and his observer survive a close call when, in an effort to make up for lost time, Roberts chooses the direct route, over Lake Erie, between Buffalo, New York, Buffalo and Cleveland. His engine fails, and he has to ditch in the lake. Luckily, a passing freighter sees the crash and picks up the two men. An International News Service report identifies the crew of this aircraft as pilot Lieutenant H. T. Hynes, and his observer, and gives the location as "several miles out of Ashtabula Harbor."
;10 October
:On third day of transcontinental contest, an east-bound DH-4B, piloted by Maj. Albert Sneed, almost out of gas, makes fast landing at Curtiss Field at Buffalo, New York. Passenger Sgt. Worth C. McClure undoes his seatbelt and slides onto the rear fuselage to weight down the tail for a quicker stop. Plane bounces on landing, smashes nose-first into the ground, and McClure is thrown off and killed.
[Maurer Maurer, "Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919–1939", United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1987, , page 32.] Major Sneed suffers from shock but is otherwise unhurt. Lt. E. M. Manzleman (also reported as Manzelman) makes a forced landing at Washington Park, Chicago (community area), Washington Park in the morning but later flies onto Ashburn Flying Field, Ashburn Field, Chicago, Illinois, Chicago. Lt. A. H. Page landed at Grant Park (Chicago), Grant Park, Chicago, at 1322 hrs., breaking a wheel on rough ground. Page, and his assistant, Lt. George M. Newman, the United States Marine Corps, Marine entries, hoped to get away with a quick repair.
;15 October : Captain Lowell H. Smith safely arrives at Curtiss Field, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, New York, leading the western aviators in the cross-country flight, but his aircraft is accidentally destroyed by fire that night. He will not be permitted to continue in the air derby and will return to his post by rail.
;15 October
:Two more fatalities are recorded in the transcontinental endurance test when 2nd Lts. French Kirby and Stanley C. Miller die in an emergency landing in their DH-4 at Castle Rock, Utah, Castle Rock, Utah, near the Wyoming–Utah border when they suffer engine failure near Evanston, Wyoming, falling about 200 feet. During the two-week test, 54 accidents wreck or damage planes. Twenty-nine result from motor trouble, 16 from bad landings, 5 from poor weather, 2 when pilots lose their way, 1 in take-off, and 1 by fire. In 42 cases the accident meant the end of the race for the pilot. Seven fatalities occur during the race, one in a de Havilland DH-4B, the others in DH-4s.
[Maurer Maurer, "Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919–1939", United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1987, , page 34.] Lt. John Donaldson (aviator), John Owen Donaldson was awarded the Mackay Trophy, Mackay Gold Medal for taking first place in the Army's only transcontinental air race. Donaldson Air Force Base, South Carolina, would be eventually named for the Great War ace (eight credited victories).
;15 October: Captain Roy Francis is forced to discontinue his "around the rim" tour when his Martin MB-1 is damaged near Yutan, Nebraska, Yutan, Nebraska.
[United Press, "Lieut. Maynard Forced To Land By Broken Shaft," Riverside Daily Press, Riverside, California, Thursday 16 October 1919, Volume XXXIV, Number 247, page 1.]
;16 October:Lt. Belvin W. Maynard, on the return leg of the transcontinental derby, is forced down four miles W of Wahoo, Nebraska, Wahoo, Nebraska, with a broken crankshaft in his Airco DH.4, DH.4. Neither Lt. Maynard nor Mechanic Sgt. Cline are injured. (Also reported as Kline and Klein.) An ordained Baptists, Baptist minister, Maynard had been heavily covered by the press as the "Flying Parson" or the "Sky Pilot." Assistance is sent by Army trucks from Offutt Air Force Base, Omaha field at Fort Crook. Maynard wired Washington for permission to transfer an engine from the MB-1 downed the previous day to his aircraft in order to continue the flight.
;16 October : Captain Harry Smith and Lieutenant Allen, observer, are forced down at Fernley, Nevada, Fernley, Nevada, and their Airco DH.4, DH.4 is wrecked. They are not injured, but they will not be allowed to continue in the air contest.
;17 October :Major Carl Spaatz, Carl Spatz withdraws from the aerial derby, and turns his plane over to Captain Lowell Smith, permitting him to continue west on the second leg of the competition, after Smith’s plane was accidentally burned while undergoing maintenance at Buffalo, New York. Lt. Belvin W. Maynard, the "Flying Parson," resumes his trip eastward from Wahoo, Nebraska, Wahoo, Nebraska, after an engine change on his aircraft.
;17 October : Lt. Alex Pearson Jr. is forced down at North Platte, Nebraska, North Platte, Nebraska, with a broken motor. He planned to resume flying on Monday 20 October after replacing his engine with one from the Martin MB-1 which was forced down at Yutan, Nebraska, Yutan, Nebraska. The local control commander expressed the powerplant to him at North Platte. Lt. Maynard, the "Flying Parson," repaired his downed aircraft with the other engine from the disabled bomber.
;18 October :Major Gilkerson’s plane is wrecked upon landing at Rawlins, Wyoming, Rawlins, Wyoming, pilot and observer uninjured. Major Abbey wrecks his plane in a forced landing near Auburn, California, Auburn, California, but he is uninjured. Lt. Gish strikes a building on the Presidio landing field upon arrival at San Francisco, at 1122 hrs., demolishing his plane. Neither he nor his observer Pomeroy are injured.
;Autumn
:A Albert Caquot, Caquot Type R observation balloon, manufactured by Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, Goodyear, being deflated at
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost .
The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landmark ...
, Oklahoma, explodes, with 24 soldiers handling sand bags on the leeward side of the balloon receiving burns. A dramatic photo exists of men bolting away from the airship as it ignites. Nearly 1,000 were manufactured in 1918–1919. A Type R is displayed at the
National Museum of the United States Air Force, thought to be the sole survivor of some manufactured in Great Britain during World War II.
;18 December:The prototype Vickers Viking, an amphibious aircraft designed for military use, registered G-EAOV, a five-seat cabin
biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two main wings stacked one above the other. The first powered, controlled aeroplane to fly, the Wright Flyer, used a biplane wing arrangement, as did many aircraft in the early years of aviation. While ...
with a Pusher configuration, pusher propeller driven by a Rolls-Royce Falcon water-cooled V12 engine, V 12 engine, crashes as Sir John Alcock (aviator), John Alcock takes it to the Paris Air Show, Paris exhibition whilst trying to land at Côte d'Evrard, near Rouen, Normandy in foggy weather.
[Andrews and Morgan 1988, pp. 112–113.]
;23 December: "Riverside, California, RIVERSIDE, 23 Dec.. - Second Lieutenant Herbert Tuchborne, and Private Allister Lima, were instantly killed at March Air Reserve Base, March field,
'sic''the army aviation school, near here when the plane fell about 2000 feet today. Details of the accident were not given out, pending the completion of an official preliminary investigation."
1920
;1 February
:World War I American ace (twelve victories) Field Eugene Kindley, of Gravette, Arkansas, Gravette, Arkansas, commanding officer of the 94th Aero Squadron, is killed in a crash at
Kelly Field
Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting.
In ...
near San Antonio, Texas, during a preparatory demonstration flight for General John J. Pershing. A control cable snaps on the Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5 biplane Kindley is flying, ''AS-8137'', of the 96th Aero Squadron,
he stalls, falls from an altitude of 100 feet,
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 109.] his body both crushed and burned. Kindley Air Force Base, Bermuda, is later named for him. Other sources give his crash date as both 2 February and 3 February.
;17 March
: Nieuport 28C-1,
U.S. Navy BuNo ''A5794'', crashes on turret on takeoff from , operating in Caribbean waters. Obtained from Army after Armistice.
;19 April
:Two aircraft written off in separate accidents at Bolling Field, Washington, D.C.
[Maurer Maurer, "Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919–1939", United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1987, , page 23.] The forced landing after engine failure of an SE-5A, serial not recorded, flown by R. S. Haynes, near the Armed Forces Retirement Home, U.S. Soldier's Home in northwest Washington, D.C., shows in reports dated 20 April.
;19 April :"Modesto, California, MODESTO, April 19. - Lieutenant William Millican Randolph, W. M. Randolph of
Rockwell Field
Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California.
This airfield ...
, driving his German Fokker plane W-7 [probably a Fokker D.VII] from Rockwell Field to the aeronautical show at San Francisco, California, San Francisco, wrecked the plane here this afternoon when he attempted to make a landing at the edge of the Modesto City-County Airport, aviation field. The under part of the machine was completely torn away, but the pilot escaped without injury. His engine was stopped when he attempted to alight, and when the wheels struck a ditch he was unable to get the engine started in time to take the air again, and the Fokker, making a leap of about 50 feet, turned turtle and was put out of commission. The dismantled machine will be shipped to San Francisco." Captain William Millican Randolph will die in the crash of a Curtiss P-1 Hawk, Curtiss AT-4 Hawk on 17 February 1928, and Randolph Air Force Base, Randolph Field, Texas, will be named in his honor.
;22 April
:Three more aircraft are wrecked at Bolling Field, Washington, D.C.,
including Airco DH.4, AS-''32562'', piloted by Harold A. McGinniss, heavily damaged in a forced landing.
Source lists it as a DH-4M, but this is suspect as that model does not appear until 1923.
;22 April :"Yuma, Arizona, YUMA, Ariz., April 22. - Lieutenant F. C. Bell, United States army aviator, was drowned in the Colorado River here early tonight when a government airplane belonging to the border patrol in which he was attempting to fly beneath the Ocean to Ocean Bridge, Ocean-to-Ocean highway bridge at this point, struck a high tension wire suspended below the structure and fell into the stream."
;23 April :Curtiss JN-6HO single-control observation trainer, ''AS-41912'',
suffers engine failure "after the machine [had] risen but 100 feet from the ground" at March Air Reserve Base, March Field, California, the forced landing seriously injuring pilot Sgt. Mack E. Killman and killing passenger Cpl. H. F. Waverneck. The biplane comes down on the Crandall Ranch, ½ mile N of the Perris, California, Perris High School, Perris, California.
;10 May :"Americus, Georgia, AMERICUS, Ga., May 10. - Earl P. W. Blacklear, 24, of
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, former army air instructor, was instantly killed here today in a fall of 1500 feet while flying alone in a German Fokker D.VII, Fokker machine, one of those surrendered by the Germans under the Armistice of 11 November 1918, armistice. Blacklear has been a civilian employee of Souther Field, Souther field since his discharge from the army." The Aviation Archeology website lists the accident date as 11 May 1920, with no identification of the aircraft type involved.
;21 May :"San Antonio, Texas, SAN ANTONIO, Tex., May 21. - Lieutenant Alvin M. St. John of
Memphis, Tenn., and Private Carl L. Cuhler of Elgin, Illinois, Elgin, Ills., were instantly killed here this afternoon when a plane they were flying crashed into a flagpole and then into a building at Kelly Air Force Base, Kelly Field." The Aviation Archeology website reports that St. John was flying Airco DH.4A, ''AS-24158'',
but according to Joe Baugher's site, that serial ties up to a
Curtiss JN-4D.
The Aviation Archeology site also lists the accident date incorrectly as 28 May 1920.
;22 May
:Bristol F.2C Badger partial prototype, completed in 1919 for aerodynamic tests, using Armstrong-Siddeley Puma engine, but only the wings and undercarriage of the Badger design (and locally referred to as the Badger X – for experimental) crashes this date. It is entered on the civil register as ''K110'', AFTER it has already been written off.
;25 May :"Santa Ana, California, SANTA ANA, May 25. - Lieutenant Hutchinson, naval aviator, was seriously injured at Newport Mesa, seven miles from here, today when an airplane in which he and Gunner Reushall were making a trial flight fell 100 feet. Hutchinson suffered a compound fracture of the right leg and cuts about the face and shoulders. Reushall escaped injury. Both were pinned under the wreckage of the plane, which was a complete loss." Lester B. Hutchinson was Naval Aviator No. 203.
;19 June
:
U.S. Navy D class blimp, D-1 blimp, ''A4450'', is destroyed by fire
[Swanborough, Gordon, and Bowers, Peter M., "United States Navy Aircraft since 1911", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1976, Library of Congress card number 90-60097, , pages 573–574.] at the Goodyear Wingfoot Lake Airship Base, Suffield Township, Portage County, Ohio.
Also lost are two balloons owned by the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. The origin of the fire, which broke out in a hangar, was not known. Losses were estimated at $160,000.
;5 July
:Dundalk Flying Field, opened in Baltimore, Maryland in 1920, is almost immediately renamed Logan Field (Baltimore), Logan Field when, on this date, Army Lt. Patrick H. Logan is fatally injured after his Nieuport 28, ''F6506'', nicknamed the "Red Devil", crashes at the airport's inaugural air show following a stall/spin. In response to the tragedy, the airfield is renamed in his honor, with the announcement of the new name being made at the closing ceremonies of the airshow during which he died.
;8 July : Five Mexican military flyers are killed late this date in the crash of a Farman biplane, which falls 1,900 feet and comes down near La Colorada, Mexico. The plane was en route north from Mexico City with seven on board.
;12 August
:Lt. William Calvin Maxwell, 28, of the 3d Fighter Training Squadron, 3d Aero Squadron, Fort Stotsenburg, Camp Stotsenberg in Luzon, Philippines, a native of Atmore, Alabama, is killed in an aviation crash in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. While on a flight from Camp Stotsenberg to Manila,
engine trouble forced Lt. Maxwell to attempt to land his DH-4, AS-''23587'',
in a sugarcane field. Maneuvering to avoid a group of children playing below, he struck a flagpole hidden by the tall sugarcane and was killed instantly. On the recommendation of his former commanding officer, Maj. Roy C. Brown, Montgomery Air Intermediate Depot, Montgomery, Alabama, was renamed Maxwell Air Force Base, Maxwell Field on 8 November 1922.
;2 October
:
U.S. Navy Lt. Cdr. William Merrill Corry Jr. (5 October 1889 – 6 October 1920), of Quincy, Florida, designated Naval Aviator No. 23 in March 1916, while on a flight from Long Island, New York, with another pilot, the aircraft crashes, with Corry earning the
Medal of Honor
The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...
"for heroic service in attempting to rescue a brother officer from a flame-enveloped airplane near Hartford, Connecticut. On 2 October 1920, an airplane in which Lieutenant Commander Corry was a passenger crashed and burst into flames. He was thrown 30 feet clear of the aircraft and, though injured, rushed back to the burning machine and endeavored to release the pilot. In so doing he sustained serious burns, from which he died four days later." In 1923, Corry Station Naval Technical Training Center, Corry Field, a new satellite airfield for Naval Air Station Pensacola, is named in his honor. Three U.S. Navy destroyers have been named USS Corry, USS ''Corry'', a USS Corry (DD-334), ''Clemson''-class in 1921, a USS Corry (DD-463), ''Gleaves''-class in 1941, and a USS Corry (DD-817), ''Gearing''-class, in 1945.
;13 December
:Navy balloon A-5598, departs Rockaway Naval Air Station and goes went off-course; after a flight of 25 hours it goes down in the Canadian wilderness. Its crew of three are reported missing, but are later rescued.
1921
;23 March
:In an all-night training flight, a
U.S. Navy free balloon, ''A-5597'', launches from
NAS Pensacola
Naval Air Station Pensacola or NAS Pensacola (formerly NAS/KNAS until changed circa 1970 to allow Nassau International Airport, now Lynden Pindling International Airport, to have IATA code NAS), "The Cradle of Naval Aviation", is a United State ...
,
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, and to ...
, with five crew and drifts over the Gulf of Mexico. Two messages received by pigeon indicate it first is 20 miles from St. Andrews Bay (Florida), St. Andrews Bay, then that all ballast had been dropped and that it was at 100 feet and descending. On 8 April 1921, a fishing vessel List of previously missing aircraft, finds the balloon floating on the sea, with the gondola three and a half fathoms under water.
Nothing is ever found of Chief Quartermaster E. W. Wilkinson, enlisted men R. V. Wyland, E. L. Kershaw, and J. P. Elder, and Marine Corps member W. H. Tressey.
[Vaeth, J. Gordon, "They Sailed the Skies: U.S. Navy Balloons and the Airship Program", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 2005, , page 13.]
;15 April :1st Lt. James J. Langin, army pilot, and senior at the Law School at Georgetown University, from Neola, Iowa, Neola, Iowa, is killed at Bolling Field, Washington, D. C., when his Royal Aircraft Factory S.E.5, S.E.5 side-slips for unknown reasons and he loses control. "He was descending to make a landing and was within 200 feet of the ground when the machine fell." Knocked unconscious by the impact, he dies when "the machine, flooded with gasoline, burst into flames. The body was removed as soon as it could be reached, later being taken to the Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Walter Reed Hospital."
;28 May
:Seven men, five of the Army and two civilians, were killed in the wreck of an Army Curtiss Eagle ambulance airplane, USAAS ''64243'',
of the 1st Provisional Air Brigade, at Morgantown, Maryland, near Indian Head, Maryland, Indian Head, 40 miles southeast of Washington, in a terrific wind and electrical storm at 1825 hrs. The dead were: Lieutenant Colonel Archie Miller (Medal of Honor), Archie Miller, U.S.A., M. H., Washington, D.C.; Maurice Connolly of Dubuque, Iowa, formerly a member of the United States House of Representatives; A. G. Batchelder of Washington, chairman of the Board of the American Automobile Association; Lieutenant Stanley M. Ames of Washington, pilot of the wrecked plane; Lieutenant Cleveland M. McDermott, Langley Field, Virginia; Lieutenant John M. Pennewill, Langley Air Force Base, Langley Field, Virginia; and Sergeant Mechanic Richard Blumenkranz, Washington. Army Air Service officers said the accident was the worst in the history of aviation in the United States and that it was one of the few in which all of the passengers in a falling aircraft had been killed almost instantly. The ship struck the ground nose first and the impact was so great that the big 400-horsepower Liberty motor in the front end of the craft was torn from its chassis and thrown back into the cockpit on top of the pilot and the passengers. All the bodies were mutilated. The Curtiss-Eagle was returning from a trip to Langley Field, near Newport News, Virginia, where it had departed at 1630 hrs., and had just crossed the Potomac River, when it ran into the storm which had passed over Washington an hour before.
;21 June :"Riverside, California, RIVERSIDE, June 21. - Sergeant James E. Jones, of Washington, D. C., was killed, and Private Lester J. Overton injured in an army airplane in which they were flying fell 300 feet to the ground at March Field today. The accident was caused by the motor of the plane stalling, it was stated by officials at the field. Jones was instantly killed, while Overton's injuries were reported not to be serious." Curtiss JN-6H, ''AS-44889'', came down 1½ miles E and ¼ mile S of the airfield.
;7 July
:US Navy Airship C class blimp, C-3 burns at
Naval Air Station Hampton Roads
Naval Station Norfolk Chambers Field ( IATA: NGU, ICAO: KNGU, FAA LID: NGU),or LP-1/Chambers Field, is commonly known simply as, Chambers Field, and is named after Captain Washington Irving Chambers. It is a&nbs ...
, Norfolk, Virginia. The crew escapes serious injuries.
["Big Navy Dirigible Burned in Flight; Flames Destroy the C-3 at Hampton Roads"](_blank)
''The New York Times'', 8 July 1921, Friday, Page 1
;7 July : "San Francisco, California, SAN FRANCISCO, July 7. - An army observation balloon, up in training work, fell 2000 feet into the San Francisco Bay, bay today. The crew was rescued by a tug sent out from Angel Island (California), Angel island. No one was injured. Overloading is said to have been the cause of the accident."
;10 July:"Moundsville, West Virginia, MOUNDSVILLE, W. Va. - Five persons are known to be dead and 50 others were injured seriously when an army bombing plane crashed into a crowd of spectators at Langlin Field here. [''sic'' – Langin Field]. The dead: Ralph Hartzel, 18 years old; Carl Pettit, 16, of Moundsville; Fred Edge, 35, Round Bottom, West Virginia, Round Bottom, Ohio [''sic'' West Virginia]; Mrs. George Long, 65, of Moundsville. The body of a boy has been recovered and it is believed the body of another persons
'sic''is under the flaming wreckage, which cannot be approached owing to intense heat. ... Scores of others were rushed away in autos and taken to homes of private physicians, and it was impossible to obtain a complete list. The plane is charge
'sic''of Lieutenants R. Melvor and D. H. Dunton and Mechanic W. D. Conwell, was circling the field preparatory to taking off for Washington, D. C., Washington, and according to the statement of Lieutenant McPherson, the controls stalled and the plane crashed head-on into a line of automobiles. As it hit the fuel tank burst and exploded, spraying burning gasoline in all directions, and setting fire to 15 automobiles. Several score men, women, and children, many of them with their clothing in flames, were dragged out of burning automobiles, fifteen of which were destroyed."
;12 July
:Major Sheldon Harley Wheeler is killed in the crash of Airco DH-4, DH-4B, ''AS-63525'', on take off from NALF Ford Island, Luke Field, Ford Island, Oahu, Hawaiian Islands. He was commander of Luke Field at the time of his death. In February 1922 construction began on a new airfield in the Wahiawa District of the Island and on 11 November it was named Wheeler Field in his honour.
;19 July
:United States Army Air Service, USAAS pilot 1st Lt. Willard S. Clark is killed at
Ellington Field, Texas, when his Orenco D enters a spin at low altitude and plunges to the ground. All aircraft manufactured in this batch are grounded.
[Pelletier, Alain J., "Made in America – Thomas-Morse MB-3 And Boeing MB-3A", ''Air Enthusiast'', Stamford, Lincs, UK, Number 131, September–October 2007, page 50.]
![R-38-rescue](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/56/R-38-rescue.jpg)
;24 August
:During its fourth flight, the British
airship
An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air.
In early ...
R38 class airship, ''R38'' (''ZR-2''), due to be delivered to the United States Navy as the ''ZR-2'', broke in two on a test flight near Kingston upon Hull, Hull, England, the forward half falling into the Humber River whereupon spilt gasoline on the water caught fire, while the stern, not in flames, settled on a sandbar. The ship had been undergoing turning trials, at 63 mph at 2,500 feet, with the rudders worked to their maximum, causing the lightweight structure to fail.
44 died, including British Air Commodore Edward Maitland (aviator), E.M. Maitland, Leader of Airships, and 16 Americans.
[Vaeth, J. Gordon, "They Sailed the Skies: U.S. Navy Balloons and the Airship Program", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 2005, , pages 22–23.][Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 139.] Maxfield Field at NAS Lakehurst, New Jersey, named 6 January 1944 in honor of Commander Louis H. Maxfield, Naval Aviator No. 17, who lost his life in the ''R38'' crash.
;31 August
:
U.S. Navy airship D-6, ''A5972'', with a C-type envelope built by Goodyear Aerospace, Goodyear in 1920 and a special enclosed car built by the Naval Aircraft Factory, is destroyed in the Naval Air Station Rockaway hangar gasoline fire
along with two small dirigibles, the C-10 and the Goodyear Blimp, Goodyear airship H-1, ''A5973'', the sole H-model, a powered two-seat observation balloon built along the lines of the commercial Goodyear "Pony Blimp", and the kite balloon A-P.
;29 September
:First Orenco D manufactured by Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company, Curtiss, ''63281'', McCook Project Number 'P163', loses entire leading edge of its upper wing, crashing at
McCook Field
McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It was operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and its successor the United States Army Air Service from 1917 to 1927. It was named fo ...
, Ohio. An investigation by an officer of the flying test section of the USAAS Engineering Division reveals that the Orenco Ds are badly constructed, no fewer than 30 defects and faulty fittings being recorded in the published report, forcing the Air Service to withdraw all Orenco Ds from use (Joe Baugher cites date of 28 September).
;28 December
:Second Lieutenant Samuel Howard Davis (1896–1921) is killed in the crash of Curtiss JN-6HG-1 (possibly USAAS serial ''44796'', seen wrecked at Carlstrom Field, Carlstrom AAF, date unknown) in which he was a passenger, at Carlstrom Field, Arcadia, Florida. Davis-Monthan Landing Field, later Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona, is named in part for him, 1 November 1925. He attended high school in that community.
[Mueller, Robert, "Air Force Bases Volume 1: Active Air Force Bases Within the United States of America on 17 September 1982", United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1989, , page 97.]
1922
;21 February
:On a cold and overcast day,
U.S. Army semi-rigid (blimp with a keel) ''Roma (airship), Roma'', bought from Italy, formerly ''T34'', suffers control box failure at stern in flight at 1410 hrs., nosed into the ground, struck power lines at the U.S. Army Quartermaster Intermediate Depot, Norfolk, Virginia, and burst into flames, killing 34 of 45 on board, including Capt. Dale Mabry, its commander. This would remain the worst American aviation accident until the loss of the in 1933.
[Vaeth, J. Gordon, "They Sailed the Skies: U.S. Navy Balloons and the Airship Program", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 2005, , page 112.] ![Roma Tragedy](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Roma_Tragedy.jpg)
Accident spurs American lighter-than-air operations to switch to helium, less Buoyancy, buoyant than hydrogen, but non-flammable. Dale Mabry Field, Dale Mabry Municipal Airport in Tallahassee, Florida, that city's first airport, was named after Mabry, a Tallahassee native.
;21 February
:U.S. Marine Corps Naval Aircraft Factory F-5-L, ''A-3591'', of VS-1M, crashed during a night flight, this date.
;11 May :"Hampton, Virginia, HAMPTON, Va., May 11. - The army blimp, A-4 arrived safely at
Langley Field late today after having drifted for an hour and a half over the ocean off Cape Henry with her engines dead. The craft drifted to sea before a four-mile northwest breeze until repairs were made when she turned her nose toward shore. The crew of five were none the worse for their experience. The engine trouble developed about 3:30 o'clock in the afternoon and for a time considerable anxiety was felt for the craft and its occupants by short stations and radio offices which kept in communication with the blimp. It was found unnecessary however to despatch
'sic''airplanes or other blimps to her assistance. Army officers refused to give out the names of the crew although it was said Lieutenant Olmstead was at the wheel during the flight." The pilot was probably Lt. Robert Stanford Olmsted, who will be killed on 23 September 1923, when the Army free balloon ''S-6'' is struck by lightning over the Netherlands during an international balloon race. The A-4 was the first blimp operated by the U.S. Army, built by Goodyear in April 1919. It arrived at Langley Field on 11 July 1919 from Akron, Ohio, Akron under the command of Lt. George McEntire.
;June
:Sole prototype of the Royal Air Force Vickers Valentia flying boat, ''N124'', which was constructed between 1918 and 1921, and completed by Saunders-Roe, S.E. Saunders of Cowes, Isle of Wight, crashes and is written off.
;17 June :Army airmen Lieutenant Robert O. Hanley (also reported as Robert E. Hanley) and Sergeant Arthur Opperman are killed near Louisville, Kentucky, when their Airco DH.4, DH.4, U.S. Army Air Service serial number not recorded, crashes while making a sharp banking turn. Airframe destroyed by post-crash fire.
The men were airborne to photograph the airshow that was to shortly begin. The aircraft was assigned to the 7th Photo Section at Godman Army Airfield, Godman Field, Fort Knox, Camp Knox, Kentucky.
;23 September
:A Martin NBS-1 bomber, Air Service ''68487'', Raymond E. Davis, pilot, nose dived and crashed from an estimated altitude of 500 feet on a residential street near Mitchel Air Force Base, Mitchel Field, Mineola, New York, killing the six military personnel on board. At the time, the aircraft was involved in a night time Military simulation, war game display that was lit by searchlights and watched by an estimated crowd of 25,000 spectators.
;October
:Hangar fire at Aeroplane and Armament Experimental Establishment, Martlesham Heath, Great Britain, destroys a number of captured aircraft from the Great War.
;14 October :The Navy-Wright NW-1, BuNo ''A-6543'', a racer designed and built in a mere three months, flew for the first time on 11 October 1922, just days before it was entered in 14 October 1922 National Air Races, Pulitzer air race at Selfridge Field, Michigan. Entered at the last minute, the press dubbed the new entry, the Mystery Racer. Assigned to the second of three heats, and wearing race number 9, the close-fitting cowling over the Wright T-2 engine retained heat and caused the oil temperature to exceed its operating limit. Streaming smoke around the race course, the pilot was over Lake St. Clair, near Detroit when the red-hot engine failed. "The extreme low position of the lower wing was not conducive to ditching and the "Mystery Racer" flipped over and sank in the mud. The aircraft was written-off but the pilot emerged unscathed."
;17 October
:U.S. Army's largest blimp, ''C-2'', caught fire shortly after being removed from its hangar at Brooks City-Base, Brooks Field, San Antonio, Texas for a flight. Seven of eight crew aboard were injured, mostly in jumping from the craft. This accident was made the occasion for an official announcement by the Army and the Navy that the use of hydrogen would be abandoned "as speedily as possible." On 23 September 1922, the ''C-2'' had completed the first transcontinental airship flight across the United States, from
Langley Field, Virginia, to Ross Field, Arcadia, California, under the command of Major H. A. Strauss after having started on 14 September.
The ship arrived at Ross Field on 23 September,
;22 October
: 1st Lt. Harold Ross Harris (1897–1988) becomes the first member of the U.S. Army Air Service to save his life by parachute, when the Loening PW-2A, (probably ''AS-64388''), he is testing out of
McCook Field
McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It was operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and its successor the United States Army Air Service from 1917 to 1927. It was named fo ...
, Ohio, suffers vibration, loses part of left wing or aileron, so he parts company with the airframe, landing safely.
[Maurer Maurer, "Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919–1939", United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1987, , page 163.] Two sources gives the date as 20 October.
[Baker, David, "Flight and Flying: A Chronology", Facts On File, Inc., New York, 1994, Library of Congress card number 92-31491, , page 145.] McCook Field personnel create the "Caterpiller Club" for those whose lives are saved by parachute bail-out with Harris the plank-holding member.
;11 November
:1st Lt. Frank B. Tyndall is the second U.S. Army Air Service pilot to utilize a parachute in a life-saving effort when the Boeing-built MB-3A, (probably ''AS-68380'') he is testing at Seattle, Washington sheds its wings in flight almost directly over the Boeing factory.
He would later perish on 15 July 1930 in the crash of Curtiss P-1F Hawk, ''28–61'', near Mooresville, North Carolina. Tyndall Air Force Base is named in his honor.
;12 November :"Hartford, Connecticut, HARTFORD, Conn., Nov. 12. - Lieut. John Blaney, army flier, from Mitchel Field, Long Island, New York, Long Island, was instantly killed this afternoon at Hartford-Brainard Airport, Brainard Municipal field here while taking part in an airplane relay in the Hartford aviation meet. His plane struck a tree and crashed when about to land. Lieutenant Blaney was completing the third of the race, and flew close to the ground. He was flying about 140 miles an hour when the plane hit the tree. He was instantly killed." He was flying Airco DH.4, Atlantic DH.4M-2, ''AS-63626'',
of the 5th Observation Squadron.
;12 November
:Lt. Cdr. Godfrey Chevalier, Godfrey DeCourcelles Chevalier, a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy in June 1910, who was appointed a Naval Air Pilot No. 7 on 7 November 1915 and a Naval Aviator No. 7 on 7 November 1918, crashes in a Vought VE-7 while en route from NAS Norfolk to Yorktown, Virginia, dying in Portsmouth Naval Hospital on 14 November as a result of his injuries. On 26 October 1922 Lieutenant Commander Chevalier made the first landing on the USS Langley (CV-1), USS ''Langley'''s deck, the U.S. Navy's first aircraft carrier, in an Aeromarine 39-B, ''A-606''.
;6 December :"Newport News, Virginia, NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Dec. 6. - Major Guy L. Gearhart, of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth, Kan., Captain Benton A. Doyle, of St. Louis, Missouri, St. Louis, and four enlisted men were killed today in a collision between a Martin bomber and a Fokker scout plane, 250 feet above the Hampton University, Hampton Normal School farm, which adjoins Langley Air Force Base, Langley field. The machines burst into flames and were destroyed, and several men who attempted to rescue the men pinned beneath the wreckage were severely burned. The bomber, piloted by Captain Doyle, took the air to lead a formation of six planes and was 'banking' when the scout machine, in charge of Major Gearhart, rose swiftly and hit it in the rear. The other machines already in the air maneuvered out of the way and effected safe landings. It was announced tonight that a board of inquiry would investigate the accident." Fokker D.VII, ''AS-7795'', ex-German ''FF7795/18'', hit Martin NBS-1, ''AS-68491''.
;7 December
:DH-4B, ''AS-63780'', departs
Rockwell Field
Rockwell Field is a former United States Army Air Corps (USAAC) military airfield, located northwest of the city of Coronado, California, on the northern part of the Coronado Peninsula across the bay from San Diego, California.
This airfield ...
, San Diego, California at 0905 hrs. bound for Fort Huachuca, Arizona, piloted by 1st Lt. Charles L. Webber with Col. Francis C. Marshall, attached to the staff of the chief of cavalry in Washington, D.C., aboard for an inspection trip of cavalry posts and camps. When aircraft doesn't arrive, one of the largest man-hunts in Air Service history is mounted, directed by Col. A. J. McNabb Jr., commanding officer of the 25th Infantry Regiment (United States), 25th Infantry, but when search is finally given up on 23 February 1923 nothing had been found. Wreckage is eventually discovered 12 May 1923 by a man hunting stray cattle in the mountains. Flight apparently hit Cuyamaca Peak just a few miles east of San Diego in fog within thirty minutes of departure.
[Maurer Maurer, "Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919–1939", United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1987, , page 108.]
1923
;4 March
:Martin GMT (Glenn Martin Transatlantic), USAAS ''62949'', (as identified in a 1972 article in ''Wings'' magazine) loses power on one of two Liberty engines while en route to Chanute Field, Illinois, is unable to stay aloft on one only, crashes. Pilot Maj. Bradley escapes injury, but Lt. Stanley Smith is fatally injured. Walt Boynes's account in ''Wings'' magazine gives the accident date as 5 March.
[Boyne, Walt, "''Martin's Marvels''", Wings, Granada Hills, California, October 1972, Volume 2, Number 5, page 60.] A period report from the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
states, however,: "New York City, NEW YORK, March 4. - Lieut. Stanley Smith, army air service, was killed and Maj. Follett Bradley was probably fatally injured when a giant Martin bomer
'sic''in which they had just left Mitchel Air Force Base, Mitchell Field
'sic''for Chanute Air Force Base, Chanute Field, Rantoul, Illinois, Rantoul, Ills.
'sic'' was forced down in Brooklyn. Four student mechanics, privates, who also were in the biplane escaped with only slight injuries owing to the skillful manner in which Major Bradley piloted the big bomer
'sic''to earth from 5,000 feet. The two officers were pinned under a wing of the machine, which, brought to earth on wheels, overturned when it struck a hillock. The mishap was due to a broken controlling rod." The Aviation Archeology site report matches the accident date, lists the pilot as Major Follett Bradley Sr., identifies the Martin as ''AS-62951'', and gives the crash site as Miller Street and Heigeman Avenue, Brooklyn, N.Y. Joe Baugher's serial number website adds that the aircraft had been modified to a Martin GMC with a 37-mm cannon in the nose, and that it carried
McCook Field
McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It was operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and its successor the United States Army Air Service from 1917 to 1927. It was named fo ...
project number P110.
;12 April : Capt. Hugh J. Knerr, commanding officer of the 88th Observation Squadron, Wright Field, Ohio, and Sgt. John McKenna, returning to Fairfield Air Depot, Ohio, from a reconnaissance flight, suffer a stuck valve on the Liberty engine of Airco DH.4B, USAAS ''64566'',
while hedge-hopping, duck under powerlines directly ahead, and crash-land in a rough pasture near Richmond, Indiana, Richmond, Indiana. Plane takes out ~100 feet of wire fence and strikes a cherry tree, shedding its lower wings and undercarriage, resulting in it being written off. Pilot Knerr suffers a strained neck. Investigation shows that "the accident was unavoidable and through no fault of the pilot." Knerr will medically retire from the U.S. Air Force in 1939 with the rank of major general.
;21 April
:Capt. Walter Ralls "Tiny" Lawson Sr. (b. 23 October 1893) is killed along with four other crew when his Martin MB-2 bomber, ''64205'', of the 20th Bomb Squadron, 20th Bombardment Squadron, 2d Bombardment Group, crashes into the Great Miami River in high winds shortly after take off from
McCook Field
McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It was operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and its successor the United States Army Air Service from 1917 to 1927. It was named fo ...
,
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...
,
the same aircraft he piloted with the 1st Provisional Air Brigade during bomb tests out of
Langley Field that sank the former German battleship SMS Ostfriesland, SMS ''Ostfriesland''. The Army named the balloon landing facility at Fort Benning, in his home state of Georgia, Lawson Army Airfield, Lawson Field in his honor in August 1931. After World War II the name of Second Lieutenant Ted W. Lawson was added to his, giving the parsimonious post war Army two memorials for the price of one. The second Lawson was author of Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo, a memoir of his experiences as a pilot on the historic World War II raid led by the first Lawson's fellow pilot in the 1st Provisional Air Brigade, Jimmy Doolittle. At the time of his death, the senior Lawson was commanding officer of the 20th Bombardment Squadron. A period account from the
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
: "
DAYTON
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Da ...
, O., April 21. - Four men were almost instantly killed and another probably fatally injured this afternoon when a Martin air service bombing plane nose-dived into the Great Miami river here. The dead are: Capt. W. R. Lawson, pilot, Langley Field, Va., Technical Sergeant Bidwell, Langley Field; Sergeant Wesley H. Rowland, Selfridge Field, Mich., and Civilian U. M. Smith, Bureau of Standards, Washington, D. C. The injured: Technical Sergeant F. B. Shaw, Selfridge Field, Mich. The accident happened as the men were taking off for Langley Field after having been here for several weeks. All the men in the plane had parachutes on their backs but were unable to use them because the plane was only a short distance from the ground when it dived. Brigadier General Billy Mitchell, William Mitchell, assistant chief of the air service, and Major L. W. McIntosh, commandant at
McCook Field
McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It was operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and its successor the United States Army Air Service from 1917 to 1927. It was named fo ...
, were the first air service officers to reach the scene. Shortly after the accident General Mitchell took off for Bolling Field, Washington, D. C. As he passed over the scene of the disaster he dropped flowers into the river."
;31 July
:RAF Bristol F.2B, ''E2431'', crashes at RAF (Cadet) College, Cranwell, when it stalls during landing. Aircraft was marked incorrectly ''1342E''.
;15 September
: Major Edward L. Napier, a native of Union Springs, Alabama, is killed in the crash of a Fokker D.VII, ''AS-5382'',
at
McCook Field
McCook Field was an airfield and aviation experimentation station in Dayton, Ohio, United States. It was operated by the Aviation Section, U.S. Signal Corps and its successor the United States Army Air Service from 1917 to 1927. It was named fo ...
,
Dayton, Ohio
Dayton () is the sixth-largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Montgomery County. A small part of the city extends into Greene County. The 2020 U.S. census estimate put the city population at 137,644, while Greater Day ...
. He had been a Medical Corps Officer in the Great War and had transferred to the United States Army Air Corps, Army Air Corps. He was receiving training as a flight surgeon at the time of his death. The official report states that he was piloting the aircraft himself and there was a structural failure of a wing. In 1941, the U.S. Army Air Corps will open Dothan Regional Airport, Napier Field at Dothan, Alabama, named in his honor.
;23 September
:1st Lts. Robert Stanford Olmsted
and John W. Shoptaw enter
U.S. Army balloon ''S-6'' in international balloon race from Brussels, despite threatening weather which causes some competitors to drop out. ''S-6'' collides with Belgian balloon, ''Ville de Bruxelles'' on launch, tearing that craft's netting and knocking it out of the race. Lightning strikes ''S-6'' over Nistelrode, the Netherlands, killing Olmsted outright, and Shoptaw in the fall. Switzerland's ''Génève'' is also hit, burns, killing two on board, as is Spain's ''Polar'', killing one crew immediately, second crewman jumps from 100 feet, breaking both legs. Three other balloons are also forced down.
[Maurer Maurer, "Aviation in the U.S. Army, 1919–1939", United States Air Force Historical Research Center, Office of Air Force History, Washington, D.C., 1987, , page 174.][Vaeth, J. Gordon, "They Sailed the Skies: U.S. Navy Balloons and the Airship Program", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 2005, , page 17-18.] Middletown Air Depot,
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; ( Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, ...
, was renamed Olmsted AFB on 11 March 1948.
;18 November
:The first aerial refueling-related fatality occurs during an air show at
Kelly Field
Kelly Field (formerly Kelly Air Force Base) is a Joint-Use facility located in San Antonio, Texas. It was originally named after George E. M. Kelly, the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting.
In ...
, Texas, when the fuel hose becomes entangled in the right wings of the refueler and the receiver aircraft. The Army Air Service pilot of the refueler, Lt. P. T. Wagner, is killed in the ensuing crash of DH-4B, ''23-444''.
;23 November
:First of only three Bristol Jupiter Fighters, essentially adaptations of the Bristol F.2B airframe converted with Bristol Jupiter IV engines and oleo-type
undercarriage
Undercarriage is the part of a moving vehicle that is underneath the main body of the vehicle. The term originally applied to this part of a horse-drawn carriage, and usage has since broadened to include:
*The landing gear of an aircraft.
*The ch ...
, crashes due to an engine seizure at high altitude. Second conversion was sold to Sweden in May 1924, and third was converted to a dual-control trainer.
;30 November
:Second of two prototypes of the Short Springbok Mk. I, ''J6975'', crashes near Martlesham when it spins in shortly after take off, killing the pilot. Cause is diagnosed as rudder blanking during spinning and a new wing design is prepared for the Short Springbok Mk. II, of which six examples – later reduced to three – are ordered in 1924.
;21 December
:The French Navy airship French airship Dixmude, Dixmude, formerly the German ''LZ114'', is lost over the Mediterranean in a storm in early morning with the loss of all 44 of her crew.
1924
;16 January :While moored at NAS Lakehurst, New Jersey, USS Shenandoah (ZR-1), USS ''Shenandoah'''s upper tail fin covering is ripped during a gale, and the sudden roll tears out her mooring tube from the Lakehurst mast. Damage to the nose deflates the first gas bag and holes the second. Zeppelin test pilot Anton Heinen rides out the storm and lands safely while the airship is being blown backwards. A period of repair is needed, not returning to service until 24 May 1924 (with reinforcements to the mooring assembly, nose, and fins), and a proposed Arctic expedition is scrapped.
![Damage ZR-1 h92612](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e4/Damage_ZR-1_h92612.jpg)
;23 February
:Lt. John S. Ansley of the 111th Observation Squadron, Texas National Guard, crashes in Curtiss JN-4H, ''24-158'', (one source gives the type as a Curtiss JN-6
) at
Ellington Field, Texas, when he enters a tailspin during practice, but at insufficient altitude to recover, the airframe smashing into a pile of stacked lumber. The pilot dies later in hospital.
;21 March
:Martin GMB (Glenn Martin Bomber), USAAS ''64308'', ex-Post Office (possibly ''202''), ends cross-country flight to Parris Island, South Carolina, noses over when it hits unmarked ditch on the airfield. Pilot 1st Lt. (later Lieutenant General) Harold L. George reported later that "I also remember being told that it (Parris Island) was an exceptional landing field. It was except that the information had failed to inform me that the Marines had dug a trench across the field. This was not indicated by markers, or in any other way. I didn't know the trench was there until we stopped quickly."
Airframe had only logged 99 hours when it was written off.
;27 March
:British-born 2nd Lt. Oscar Monthan (1885–1924) is killed when his Martin NBS-1 bomber, ''AS-68448'', of the 5th Composite Group, fails to clear baseball field backstop on take-off from NALF Ford Island, Luke Field, Ford Island, Oahu, Hawaiian Islands. Davis-Monthan Landing Field, later Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona, is named in part for him, 1 November 1925. He attended high school in that community.
;30 April
:One of the four Douglas World Cruiser aircraft, the "Seattle", ''23-1229'', c/n 145,
attempting an around-the-globe flight in stages, crashes into a mountain in Alaska on this date. The crew, Major Frederick L. Martin and Staff Sergeant Alva L. Harvey, survive and make their way through the wilderness to safety. The wreckage of the "Seattle" is later recovered and is now on display in the Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum.
;2 June :Assisting the U.S. Weather Bureau in research, the United States Army Air Service, USAAS Balloons and Airship School schedules fifteen balloon flights from
Scott Field, Illinois, for Dr. C. LeRoy Meisinger, who had gained experience with balloons and meteorology as an Air Service officer during the war. The project ends with the tenth flight, this date, when lightning strikes the balloon, killing both Dr. Meisinger and his pilot, 1st Lt. James M. G. T. Neely.
;2 August
:One of the three surviving Douglas World Cruiser aircraft, the "Boston", ''23-1231'', c/n 147,
loses oil pressure while flying west over the North Atlantic, has to alight on the open sea. Crew is rescued, but during an attempt to tow the float aircraft by the , the aircraft capsizes in rough seas and has to be abandoned near the Faroe Islands.
;15 September
:A
Curtiss N-9 seaplane, equipped with radio control and without a human pilot aboard, was flown on a 40-minute flight at the Naval Proving Grounds, Dahlgren, Virginia. Although the aircraft sank from damage sustained while landing, this test demonstrated the practicability of radio control of aircraft.
;10 October :U.S. Army blimp TC-2 explodes over Newport News, Virginia, Newport News, Virginia, when a bomb it is carrying detonates. Two of five crew killed. "
WASHINGTON
Washington commonly refers to:
* Washington (state), United States
* Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States
** A metonym for the federal government of the United States
** Washington metropolitan area, the metropolitan area centered on ...
, Oct. 10 – Lieutenant Bruce Martin of San Francisco was seriously injured with four other army men when the army blimp TC-2 was forced to the ground by the explosion of one of its bombs at
Langley Field, Virginia." "Newport News, Virginia, NEWPORT NEWS, Va., Oct. 10 – Lieutenant Bruce H. Martin died at midnight as a result of injuries sustained at Langley Field this morning when a bomb carried by the U. S. Army blimp TC2 prematurely exploded, wrecking the craft and injuring the five members of its crew."
;10 October :The rear section of USS Shenandoah (ZR-1), USS ''Shenandoah'' is damaged while making a landing in windy conditions at Naval Air Station North Island,
San Diego
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, California, after completing the second leg of a cross-country flight from Fort Worth, Texas, Fort Worth, Texas. "Slight damage was done to the Shenandoah when the airship was brought to the ground last night. Officers at North Island this morning stated that one of the rear gondolas struck the ground slightly, but with sufficient force to strain two of the girders in the aft portion. The damage, it was said, is not serious, but on account of the mountains to be flown over on the flight to Fort Lewis (Washington), Camp Lewis, it was deemed best to make thorough tests to avoid any possibility of accident." "The work of repairing the strained girders continued all day yesterday (13 October)."
;11 October :"Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 11 – Flying in excess of 150 miles an hour, the United States navy racing seaplane FTW fell 100 feet into the Delaware River, Delaware river
'sic''today and was completely wrecked. The pilot, badly injured, extricated himself." This was actually the Wright F2W-2, ''A7644'', which suffered from poor handling characteristics, the tremendous torque of its huge Wright T-3 Tornado liquid-cooled engine flipping the racer onto its back on landing during its first and only flight.
;16 October
:Emergency use of parachute — Following a mid-air collision over Coronado, California, Gunner William M. Coles, USN, of VF-1, made a successful emergency parachute jump from his
Curtiss JN-4.
;20 October
:RAF Vickers Virginia Mk II ''J6856'' of No. 7 Squadron RAF, 7 Squadron is severely damaged in a force landing at Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire following an engine failure. The aircraft is subsequently repaired and returned to service.
;18 November :"Laguna Beach, California, LAGUNA BEACH, Nov. 19. - Rescued from rough seas by two men in a rowboat when their seaplane landed 100 yards off of the rocky shores here, Lieutenants Douglas Powell and Charles Haltline of the USS New Mexico (BB-40), U. S. S. New Mexico are recovering from exposure and shock. One of the rescuers, who arose from a sick bed to aid the officers, is seriously ill, suffering from a relapse and exposure." The
Associated Press
The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...
reported: "
SAN DIEGO
San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the List of United States cities by population, eigh ...
, Nov. 18. - Lieutenants Douglas Powell and Charles G. Halpine, naval aviators, were rescued this evening off Laguna Beach, according to telephone messages from that place. The aviators left this city late today to fly to the battleship New Mexico at San Pedro, California, San Pedro. Off Laguna Beach Lieutenant Powell's machine, just repaired at
North Island
The North Island, also officially named Te Ika-a-Māui, is one of the two main islands of New Zealand, separated from the larger but much less populous South Island by the Cook Strait. The island's area is , making it the world's 14th-largest ...
, developed engine trouble and Powell was forced to descend to the ocean. Lieutenant Halpine came down to aid him and managed to get a tow line to him. Darkness, however, set in and the two officers, not knowing exactly where they were, were forced to stop when they neared the breakers. There they shouted for help and the shout was heard by residents of the beach who assembled a battery of automobiles on a bluff and trained headlights on the aviators while two beach residents went out in a lifeboat and got the officers to shore." They were probably flying Vought UO-1 observation planes, which replaced other types aboard catapult equipped cruisers and battleships from 1923.
[Swanborough, Gordon and Bowers, Peter M., "United States Navy Aircraft since 1911", Naval Institute Press, Annapolis, Maryland, 1976, 1990, Library of Congress card number 90-60097, , page 433.]
See also
* List of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft
References
* Ray Sturtivant and Gordon Page ''Royal Navy Aircraft Serials and Units 1911–1919'' Air-Britain, 1992.
External links
Aviation WeekPlaneCrashInfo.com
{{Lists of aviation accidents and incidents
Lists of accidents and incidents involving military aircraft, 1900