French aviator Eugène Lefebvre was killed on September 7, 1909, when the aircraft he was testing crashed at Juvisy-sur-Orge.
Notes on verification
Multiple independent English and French sources (Guinness World Records, Wikipedia, Britannica, Grace's Guide, French aviation history sites) corroborate the date, location, and circumstances of Lefebvre's death, with no contradicting sources found.
Sources
- After Thomas Selfridge (smithsonianmag.com)
- https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/107438-first-pilot-fatality-in-a-powered-aircraft-crash (guinnessworldrecords.com)
- https://www.gracesguide.co.uk/Eugene_Lefebvre (gracesguide.co.uk)
- https://www.air-journal.fr/2010-09-07-le-7-septembre-1909-dans-le-ciel-eugene-lefebvre-1er-pilote-tue-510824.html (air-journal.fr)
- http://www.aerostories.org/~aerobiblio/article1359.html (aerostories.org)
- https://www.aeroweb-fr.net/histoire/1909 (aeroweb-fr.net)