Thomas Selfridge is considered the first person to die in a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft crash.
Notes on verification
Confirmed by multiple independent authoritative sources including Air Force Historical Support Division, Guinness World Records, and Smithsonian, all consistently identifying Selfridge as the first fatality in a powered, heavier-than-air aircraft crash (1908, Wright Military Flyer, Fort Myer).
Sources
- After Thomas Selfridge (smithsonianmag.com)
- https://www.afhistory.af.mil/FAQs/Fact-Sheets/Article/459014/1908-first-fatality-in-a-powered-aircraft/ (afhistory.af.mil)
- https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/first-person-to-be-killed-by-a-powered-aeroplane-crash (guinnessworldrecords.com)
- https://www.guinnessworldrecords.com/world-records/107424-first-glider-pilot-fatality (guinnessworldrecords.com)