| Date: September 5, 1929 |
Survivors: none |
Fatalities: 1st Lt. Karlis Skaubitis, Sgt. Bonifacijs Mazurs |
Aircraft Involved: Albatros C.III #65 |
Location: Spilve / Ilguciems |
Details:
- Skaubitis had built an Albatros-type aircraft entirely from scratch. It had ailerons in both the upper and lower wings,
a thicker fuselage than an Albatros (to permit the installation of a Zeiss aerial camera) and it was powered by a 260 hp
Mercedes engine. It was given the serial number 65 and was first test flown on September 1, 1929.
- On September 5, 1929 Skaubitis was flying the aircraft with Mazurs in the passenger seat. After takeoff, Skaubitis
began a steep climb, when the engine stopped. As he was climbing at the time, he had very little forward speed to keep
the aircraft flying. Skaubitis made the mistake of trying to turn back towards the airfield and the aircraft fell into an
irrecoverable spin. Upon striking the ground the aircraft burst into flames and both aviators perished.
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