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Wing rib from 1908 Wright Military Flyer. One of two wing ribs surviving from the aircraft that crashed at Fort Myer, Virginia, on September 17, 1908, during U.S. Army Signal Corps flight trials of the Wright aircraft. The crashed severely injured Orville Wright (pilot), and Lieutenant Thomas E. Selfridge (Army observer) died from his injuries. Selfridge's death was the first in a powered airplane. The Wright brothers returned to Fort Myer in 1909 with a new airplane to complete the flight trials and secured a contract with Army for the airplane, making the 1909 Wright Military Flyer the world's first military airplane.

 Display Status

This object is on display in Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, DC.

Wright Brothers & The Invention of the Aerial Age
Object Details
Date 1908 Country of Origin United States of America Type CRAFT-Aircraft Parts Manufacturer Wright Brothers, Dayton, Ohio
 Physical Description Varnished wood wing rib made up from cap strips and wooden blocks. Metal strap used to attach rib to wing leading edge fastened to front of rib with tacks. Dimensions 3-D: 186.7 × 11.4 × 3.3cm (73 1/2 × 4 1/2 × 1 5/16 in.)
 Materials Wood
Metal
 Inventory Number A19571012000 Credit Line Gift of Col. Henry Berliner Data Source National Air and Space Museum Restrictions & Rights Usage conditions apply
For more information, visit the Smithsonians Terms of Use.