Soyuz 1 (Komarov)

APR 23 1967 · 12:30

April 24, 1967. First in-flight fatality of any spaceflight. Vladimir Komarov's Soyuz parachute failed on re-entry; he was killed. Soviet officials had been warned the vehicle was unsafe; Komarov flew rather than let Yuri Gagarin (his backup) take the risk.