Type: Bleriot monoplane ( named after the famous French Aviator Louis Bleriot)
Operator: Franz Oster (who imported the first aero plane to Sri Lanka)
Year built: 1909
Crew: 1 fatalities / 1 on board
Passengers: 0 fatalities / 0 on board
Total: 1 fatalities / 1 on board
Location: Racecourse Colombo (Sri Lanka)
Phase: Takeoff
Nature: Public demonstration
Flight:
Test
flight
Remarks:
Oster
attempted the first ever public flight in his monoplane. Taking off from the
racecourse he managed to reach a height of 40 feet but crashed. He was not
seriously hurt, and suffered only minor injuries. This was not officially
recorded as the first flight in Ceylon as the take-off and landing were not
controlled.
Between 14th and 19th of January 1912, Oster crashed the same monoplane during a trial flight in preparation for a public demonstration. Oster suffered a shoulder dislocation, cuts & bruises. The plane was badly damaged.