Wright bust found on beach

The National Park Service Wright Brothers National Memorial in Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, alerted Facebook users on October 13 that the bust was missing and its granite base toppled. The agency followed up October 15 with a Facebook post announcing the recovery of Orville's bust, which was found by a beach visitor not far from the memorial.

“While we are pleased that the bust of Orville Wright has been found, we are fully investigating this incident in order to determine who stole the bust and caused damage to its granite mounting base,” National Parks of Eastern North Carolina Superintendent David Hallac said in the social media post.

The federal agency’s Investigative Service Branch continued seeking tips online from anyone with information about the incident.

By October 15, the initial Facebook post about the missing bust had been shared more than 4,700 times and drew nearly 900 comments, most expressing outrage or dismay. (The most popular comment, drawing 266 reactions and more than 60 replies, was Facebook user James Guy’s suggestion that “Ohio did this. They’ve tried going after your ‘First in Flight’ mantra for years.”)

National Park Service officials told local media that Orville’s bust has a history of abduction, with thieves making off with the copper bust in 1985 and 1987. It was recovered in each of those cases as well. The Wilbur Wright bust has also been targeted by thieves in the past, officials told WRAL.

AOPA editors visited First Flight Airport and the memorial in 2018, a happier time when both brothers' busts were present, and nobody needed to be busted.