George Edward Maurice Kelly
| George Edward Maurice Kelly | |
|---|---|
Kelly circa 1910-1911
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| Born |
December 11, 1878 London, England |
| Died | May 10, 1911 (aged 32) Fort Sam Houston Hospital |
| Cause of death | Aircrash |
| Title | Second US Army flyer killed in crash |
| Predecessor | Thomas Selfridge |
| Successor | Leighton Wilson Hazelhurst, Jr. |
George Edward Maurice Kelly (11 December 1878 – 10 May 1911) was the twelfth pilot of the U.S. Army's Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps and the first member of the U.S. military killed in the crash of an airplane he was piloting. He was the second U.S. Army aviation fatality, preceded by Lieutenant Thomas Selfridge who was killed while flying as an observer in a Wright Flyer piloted by Orville Wright on 17 September 1908.
Kelly was born on 11 December 1878 in London, England, and educated at Bedford Modern School. He emigrated, gained U.S. citizenship, and joined the U.S. Army in 1904.
On January 16, 1911 Kelly was a troop officer in the 30th Infantry when he participated in an exhibition reconnaissance flight with Wright Company pilot Walter Brookins. Kelly volunteered for flying training and was detailed to the Aeronautical Division, U.S. Signal Corps and sent to the Curtiss aviation school in San Diego, California. Before his training was completed, he and two other pilots (1st Lt. Paul W. Beck and 2nd Lt. John C. Walker, Jr.) were sent to Fort Sam Houston, Texas, where the Maneuver Division had been activated in March. 1st Lt. Benjamin Foulois, then the Army's sole aviator, was also stationed at "Fort Sam" with its sole operational aircraft, a leased Wright Model B. There the Army accepted delivery of two new aircraft, a Curtiss Model D, serial number S.C. No. 2, and a Wright Model B, S.C. No. 3, on April 27, 1911, and resumed training for the three prospective pilots.
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