X-15 Crash Site

November 22nd 2017





Summery :

 The North American X-15 was designed to explore flight at supersonic and hypersonic speeds, and at altitudes up to more than 60 miles, effectively reaching the edge of space.
This X-15-3 (#56-6672) was the third airplane of only 3 ever built. It made 64 powerd flights before the accident.
On November 15, 1967, during one flight that reached an altitude of 266,000 feet an electrical short caused the autopilot to shut off. Falling at 4,000 miles an hour, it began to oscillate, and then broke into pieces at 62,000 feet above the ground.
The pilot Maj. Michael J. Adams was unable to eject.


    
Description



Manufacturer:
North American Aviation
Base model:
X-15
Designation System:
U.S. Air Force / NASA
Designation Period:
1959-1968
Basic role:
Experimental high-speed rocket-powered research aircraft
Serial Number:
56-6672
Year built:
1956
Crash Date:
11/15/67
Cause of Crash:
Out of control
Fatalities:
1




Specifications



Length:
50' 9" 15.45 m
Height:
13' 6" 4.12 m
Wingspan:
22' 4" 6.80 m
Wingarea:
200.0 sq ft 18.60 sq m
Empty Weight:
14,600 lb 6,620 kg
Max Takeoff Weight:
34,000 lb 15,420 kg





Propulsion



No. of Engines:
1
Powerplant:
Reaction Motors XLR99-RM-2 liquid propellant rocket engine
Thrust:
70,400 lbf





Performance



Max Speed:
4,520 mph 7,274 km/h Mach 6.72
Ceiling:
354,330 ft 108 km





Number built:
3


    
Other X-15 Link :
 Wikipedia Link : North American X-15
 Wikipedia Link : X-15 Flight 191
    



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