Gheorghe Caranda
| Gheorghe Caranda | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born |
April 21, 1884 Iași, Romania |
| Died |
June 20, 1912 (aged 28) Bucharest, Romania |
| Nationality | Romanian |
| Occupation | Army Officer |
| Known for | first Romanian plane crash casualty |
Obelisk in Bucharest commemorating Caranda's death
Gheorghe Caranda was a Romanian army officer and early aviator. He registered at Cotroceni Piloting School founded by George Valentin Bibescu in 1911, and earned his pilot license in 1912.[1]
On June 20, 1912 he crashed his biplane and died on Cotroceni field in Bucharest, thus becoming the first Romanian airplane accident fatality.[2] The Farman III airplane was among those used at Chitila Piloting School,[2] and reportedly had a longitudinal stability problem, and in addition the engine was under-performing on the day of the accident.
Caranda received the order "Virtutea Militara" posthumously and his name is listed first on the Romanian Airmen Heroes Memorial[2] in Bucharest, before that of aircraft builder and pilot Aurel Vlaicu.
References
- ↑ Alexandru Gh. Savu (1980). The Army and the Romanian Society. Military Publishing House. p. 274.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 Balotescu, Nicolae et al. (1984). Istoria Aviației Române (in Romanian). Bucharest: Editura Științifică și Enciclopedică. pp. 74–76.