Gheorghe Caranda
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Gheorghe Caranda | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | April 21, 1884 Iași, Romania |
| Died | June 20, 1912 (aged 28) Bucharest, Romania |
| Occupation | Army Officer |
| Known for | first Romanian plane crash casualty |
Gheorghe Caranda (April 21, 1884 – June 20, 1912) 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 Military Virtue Medal 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.
