On a blustery winter day near the ocean inKitty Hawk, North Carolina, the first aviation accident investigation of a poweredfixed-wing aircraft took place. It happened right after the first powered flight. ButWilbur and Orville Wright had a plan. With that plan they investigated and they learnedand their second flight was a little longer. And the third longer yet. They could havebeen killed on that December 17, 1903, but safety ruled their thoughts and ultimatelyruled the day. We have come far in the development of aircraft since then, but does safetyalways rule our thoughts the way that it did theirs?
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/protecting-yourself-in-an-accident-investigation