1930 Test Pilot Robert Kamm Airplane Crash Caldwell NJ Glass Negative OOAK For Sale

1930 Test Pilot Robert Kamm Airplane Crash Caldwell NJ Glass Negative OOAK

Original, one-of-a-kind (OOAK) camera-original antique 4x5 gelatin silver glass plate negative captured on April 1, 1930, documenting a dramatic Golden Age aviation mishap: the nose-down, tail-high wreckage of an experimental monoplane following a 700-foot flat spin survivable crash by test pilot Robert Kamm in Caldwell, New Jersey.

Accompanied by its original period tan kraft darkroom filing sleeve, bearing extraordinary and witty vintage pencil notations detailing the incident:

"Plane Crash — / Test pilot Robert Kamm / went into spin 700 ft / (Caldwell) New Jersey / When it crashed he crawled out & remarked that it was a good plane once! / 4-1-30"

Historical Context:

During the rapid aviation expansion of the late 1920s and early 1930s, Curtiss-Wright and associated aircraft manufacturers conducted extensive experimental and test-flight operations out of Curtiss-Wright Airport in Caldwell, New Jersey. Test pilots routinely pushed new airframes to their absolute aerodynamic limits. On April 1, 1930, test pilot Robert Kamm entered an unrecoverable spin at an altitude of 700 feet, pancaking into an open agricultural field just outside of town. Kamm miraculously walked away with minor injuries, famously deadpanning to reporters on the scene that "it was a good plane once!"

This razor-sharp press negative records the immediate aftermath in remarkable forensic detail:

• The Wreckage: The light experimental monoplane rests nose-first in the furrowed dirt, its radial engine smashed into the ground, a wooden propeller blade splintered, and the empennage with cross-braced tailfins pointing straight into the sky.

• The Ground Crew & Spectators: Several mechanics in coveralls kneel around the crumpled engine cowling inspecting the bent airframe tubing and sheared mounts, while investigators and local onlookers in wool suits, fedoras, and flat caps observe the scene.

• Rural Backdrop: An austere two-story farmhouse and stand of bare early-spring trees anchor the background across the open farm fields.

Specifications:

• Format: Heavy antique silver gelatin glass plate negative, exposed directly in a press camera on April 1, 1930.

• Archive Sleeve Included: Accompanied by its original vintage tan kraft darkroom filing sleeve, bearing authentic period pencil notations detailing the pilot, altitude, location, date, and famous quote.

Please Note: This listing is for the original antique glass plate negative and its period paper archive sleeve only. Any positive photographic images shown in this listing are modern inverted digital scans provided solely as a visual representation to show what a finished photograph prints like. No physical paper photograph, modern print, or paper product of any kind is included with this purchase.

Condition:

Very Good antique condition. Heavy glass plate is structurally sound with no cracks, fractures, or perimeter glass chips. Emulsion across the primary aircraft wreckage, mechanics, spectators, and farm landscape is sharp, clean, and well-preserved with excellent contrast. Features minor authentic handling silvering and typical vintage emulsion loss confined strictly to the extreme upper edge outside the image area. Accompanied by its original period kraft morgue filing sleeve with complete pencil notations.

The glass plate negative measures 4 x 5In.
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