Aviation accidents and incidents

An aviation accident is defined by the Convention on International Civil Aviation Annex 13 as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft, which takes place from the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight until all such persons have disembarked, and in which (a) a person is fatally or seriously injured, (b) the aircraft sustains significant damage or structural failure, or (c) the aircraft goes missing or becomes completely inaccessible.^[1] Annex 13 defines an aviation incident as an occurrence, other than an accident, associated with the operation of an aircraft that affects or could affect the safety of operation.^[1]

A hull loss occurs if an aircraft is damaged beyond repair, lost, or becomes completely inaccessible.^[2]

The first fatal aviation accident occurred on 10 May 1785, when a hot air balloon crashed in the town of Tullamore, Co. Offaly, Ireland. The town was seriously damaged from the resultant fire that burned down over 130 homes.^[3] The first involving a powered aircraft was the crash of a Wright Model A aircraft at Fort Myer, Virginia, in the United States on September 17, 1908, injuring its co-inventor and pilot, Orville Wright, and killing the passenger, Signal Corps lieutenant Thomas Selfridge.^[4]

^ ^a ^b "Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation". The Investigation Process Research Resource Site. October 12, 1993. Chapter I, Definitions. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2018.
^ "Definitions of Key Terms: Industry Definitions". AirSafe.com. July 2, 2017. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2018.
^
Byrne, Michael. The Tullamore Balloon Fire – First Air Disaster in History Archived 16 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Offaly Historical and Archaeological Society website, 9 January 2007 (retrieved 7 July 2011), which in turn cites:
- Faulkner's Dublin Journal, 14 May 1785, and
- Finn's Leinster Journal.
^ "A Visual Timeline of What Inspired the Wright Brothers – First Fatal Airplane Crash in 1885". thoughtco.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2017.

[Annex13-1] "Annex 13 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation". The Investigation Process Research Resource Site. October 12, 1993. Chapter I, Definitions. Archived from the original on April 27, 2012. Retrieved July 19, 2018.

[2] "Definitions of Key Terms: Industry Definitions". AirSafe.com. July 2, 2017. Archived from the original on March 19, 2022. Retrieved July 20, 2018.

[3] Byrne, Michael. The Tullamore Balloon Fire – First Air Disaster in History Archived 16 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Offaly Historical and Archaeological Society website, 9 January 2007 (retrieved 7 July 2011), which in turn cites:
Faulkner's Dublin Journal, 14 May 1785, and

Finn's Leinster Journal.

[4] Faulkner's Dublin Journal, 14 May 1785, and

[5] Finn's Leinster Journal.

[4] "A Visual Timeline of What Inspired the Wright Brothers – First Fatal Airplane Crash in 1885". thoughtco.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2019. Retrieved July 6, 2017.

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