Background
Ethnically Latvian, he was born in Riga on October 5, 1895.
Ethnically Latvian, he was born in Riga on October 5, 1895.
Although a talented inventor, he worked as a chauffeur for the Tambov Extraordinary Commission Against Counterrevolution, Sabotage and Speculation. The invention for which Abakovsky is remembered is the Aerowagon. lieutenant was an experimental high-speed railcar fitted with an aero engine and propeller traction.
lieutenant was originally intended to carry Soviet officials.
On 24 July 1921, a group of communists led by Fyodor Sergeyev took the Aerowagon from Moscow to the Tula collieries to test lieutenant Abakovsky was also on board.
Although they successfully arrived in Tula, on the return route to Moscow the Aerowagon derailed at high speed, killing 6 out of the 22 on board. The following people died in the accident:
John Freeman
Oskar Heilbrich
John William Hewlett
Fyodor Sergeyev (Artyom)
Otto Strupat
Abakovsky himself, at the age of 25.
All six were buried in the Kremlin Wall Necropolis.
