Helgoland Island Air Disaster
Encyclopedia
The Helgoland Island Air Disaster occurred on September 9, 1913, and is traditionally considered the first air disaster involving more than ten fatalities. Manufactured by Zeppelin
as the LZ 14, the airship
was transfered to the Imperial German Navy on 7 October 1912. As the first airship owned by navy it was designated L-1. With 20 passengers and crew on board the L-1 flew into a strong storm, crashing 20 miles north of Heligoland Island
into the North Sea
. The ship broke in two and the control car immediately sank, drowning 14 of its occupants.
Zeppelin
A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship pioneered by the German Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin in the early 20th century. It was based on designs he had outlined in 1874 and detailed in 1893. His plans were reviewed by committee in 1894 and patented in the United States on 14 March 1899...
as the LZ 14, the airship
Airship
An airship or dirigible is a type of aerostat or "lighter-than-air aircraft" that can be steered and propelled through the air using rudders and propellers or other thrust mechanisms...
was transfered to the Imperial German Navy on 7 October 1912. As the first airship owned by navy it was designated L-1. With 20 passengers and crew on board the L-1 flew into a strong storm, crashing 20 miles north of Heligoland Island
Heligoland
Heligoland is a small German archipelago in the North Sea.Formerly Danish and British possessions, the islands are located in the Heligoland Bight in the south-eastern corner of the North Sea...
into the North Sea
North Sea
In the southwest, beyond the Straits of Dover, the North Sea becomes the English Channel connecting to the Atlantic Ocean. In the east, it connects to the Baltic Sea via the Skagerrak and Kattegat, narrow straits that separate Denmark from Norway and Sweden respectively...
. The ship broke in two and the control car immediately sank, drowning 14 of its occupants.