The scheduled flight Monday of an authentic replica of the Wright brothers’ 1905 Wright Flyer III airplane at Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio, to celebrate the 104th anniversary of practical flight had to be cancelled after the aircraft crashed on Oct. 1 during a rehearsal flight and the pilot was injured. Mark Dusenberry planned to re-enact Wilbur Wright’s historic first flight at Huffman Prairie Flying Field on the base. However, during Dusenberry’s second practice run on the morning of Oct. 1, the aircraft reportedly started to oscillate vertically in flight and then sharply pitched down from about 20 feet and impacted the ground. Dusenberry was said to be communicating his injuries to paramedics on the scene; some press reports described his injuries as serious. (Wright-Patterson report by Derek Kaufman)
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.