Accident Reports:
3 November 1956 (YF-104A)
It crashed on an USAF acceptance flight test at Edwards AFB, 2 NM south of Rogers Dry Lake, pilot Capt (AFRes) Harry A. Brown was killed, Assigned to Air Materiel Command (AMC), SMAMA, Lockheed Facility, Palmdale. The acceptance test flight took of from AF plant 42 at Palmdale at 0904 PST on a clear day and climbed in AB to 40.000 feet. To investigate a cabin pressure problem a descent to 35.000 feet was performed shutting down the AB. Reselecting the AB again the aircraft flamed out and a restart was performed. The result was high EGT (1.000 degrees C) and low thrust (70 percent RPM). By advice from an engineer on the ground a emergency landing on the Rodgers Dry Lake at Edwards AFB was performed. But the flight ended 2 NM short of the RWY. The aircraft exploded on impact at 0922 PST and the pilot was fatally injured. These ejectionseats went downwards in the beginning and the pilot Capt. Harry A. Brown was killed.
Beneath a rough photo taken from the official accidentreport showing the crashsite (crater).
NOTE : Sadly no photos are known of this particular aircraft. It crashed only 1 day after official delivery. |
USAF 55-2960/FG-960