1921 Orenco D Crash Photo Kelly Field TX Named Pilot Lt Sheridan 1st US Fighter For Sale

1921 Orenco D Crash Photo Kelly Field TX Named Pilot Lt Sheridan 1st US Fighter 6.5x4.5
Official Army Air Service Wreck Record, First All-American Pursuit TypeOriginal 1921 photograph documenting the wreck of an Orenco D pursuit at Kelly Field, Texas.The print carries a full handwritten caption across the front:"Wreck of Oreco D. Lt. H.W. Sheriden - Kelly Field - 4/25/21 -P.S. #2 Bomb. Gr. K.F. Tx. - 22-G2"Offered here is a 1921 photograph documenting the crash of an Orenco D biplane fighter at Kelly Field, Texas. The photo carries a full handwritten caption directly on the photo: "Wreck of Oreco D. Lt. H.W. Sheriden, Kelly Field, 4/25/21, P.S. #2 Bomb. Gr. K.F. Tx., 22-G2." The format, content, and handwriting style are consistent with official Army Air Service accident documentation rather than a press photo or personal snapshot. The Orenco D holds a genuinely significant place in American aviation history: it was the first fighter aircraft of fully indigenous American design to enter US military service, built originally by the Ordnance Engineering Corporation and offered to the Army at the end of 1918.Production was later put out to competitive offer and won by Curtiss, but Curtiss-built examples did not fly until August 1921, four months after this crash, meaning this aircraft is most likely one of the smaller number of earlier Orenco-built examples rather than a later Curtiss production aircraft.Both photos show the wrecked aircraft collapsed in tall grass, with structural members and engine components exposed, "US" lettering visible on the fuselage, a period automobile and a uniformed figure nearby, and a row of Kelly Field hangars and a water tower in the background, all consistent with the field's documented 1921 layout.RESEARCH NOTES: We checked the pilot and date against the AAIR (Aviation Archaeological Investigation and Research) index of 1921 USAAF accident reports and found no matching entry for a Kelly Field incident on 4/25/21 or a pilot named Sheridan. This does not call the photograph into question, official report indexes have gaps, and minor incidents did not always generate a filed report, but we're disclosing it plainly.The handwritten contemporaneous caption remains the primary documentation for this piece.Condition: please review photos closely.Measurements: 6.5 x 4.5 inches.
CONDITIONOriginal period print, roughly 6.5 x 4.5 inches. Sepia/silver tonality consistent with an early 1920s photograph.Condition issue, disclosed plainly: there is a section of paper loss / tear in the lower grass area of the image. It does NOT touch the aircraft, the horizon detail, or the handwritten caption. See the close-up photos for the exact extent of the loss.Verso is blank: no stamps, no photographer credit, some light toning and old mount/tape residue typical of age.Handwritten caption on the front is fully legible.