Icarus Didn't Fail to Fly—He Flew Too Close to the Sun

Contrary to the question, Icarus did fly. Using wings crafted by his father Daedalus from feathers and wax, he escaped the Labyrinth of Crete. Ignoring Daedalus's warning, Icarus soared too high; the sun's heat melted the wax, the feathers fell away, and he plunged into the sea (now the Icarian Sea). The myth warns against hubris and overambition, not against flight itself.