dd sep63, Flight Research Center Dryden (oct63-jun66) w/o 08jun66

Note: This Starfighter was officially delivered to the NASA in July 1963 but was added to the official NASA list on October 22nd, 1963 and flown over to the NASA facility that same day by Joe Walker). From the beginning it flew with code "013" and very bright NASA color scheme, replaced lateron by "813". Within a week after delivery, four other NASA pilots also flew 013. On November 1, 1963, Joe Walker flew NASA 013 to "Yuletide" Special Operations Area northeast of Groom Lake, Nevada. The flight was in support of the X-15 program. Groom Lake was a contingency landing site for the rocket plane following launches near Delamar, Nevada. NASA 013 frequently served as chase or weather observation aircraft for the X-15. The aircraft made its 235th flight coded NASA 013 on March 5, 1965, again piloted by Walker. On its next sortie, flown by Milton O. Thompson on March 8 1965, the aircraft had been redesignated NASA 813. On November 29, 1965, Joe Walker flew NASA 813 as chase for the XB-70. Walker had been selected to become NASA's chief XB-70 pilot. He made four additional XB-70 chase flights in November and December 1965, and seven more in March 1966.
The aircraft never got the wellknown blue/white NASA colorscheme since the NASA lost this aircraft in June 1966 during a very tragic accident (see accident report data). Aircraft 813 flew a total of 409 NASA missions and logged a total of 627.7 flying hours.
As a result of the quest to fill the vacancy left in the NASA Starfighter fleet by the loss of F-104 No. 813, another Starfighter, serial number 56-0790, was acquired on loan from the Air Force in December 1966. However, it did not become available for duty until April 1968 because it was due for a major inspection, which had to be completed first.

Accident Reports:

8 June 1966 (F-104N)

It crashed after it had a mid-air collision with XB70 62-207 in a 4-ship formation. The small accident report revealed: At 0926h on 8 June 1966, an Air Force XB-70A, serial number 62-0207, and a NASA F-104N were involved in a midair collision eleven miles north of Barstow, California.
The XB-70 departed Edwards AFB, CA at 0715h on a scheduled test mission to accomplish flight requirements as specified by the contractor, North American Aviation Company and the Air Force.
The aircraft commander was a pilot employed by the contractor. The aircraft was scheduled to accomplish the following:

(1) Airspeed calibration
(2) Sonic boom run
(3) Flight familiarization for an Air Force crewmember
(4) Formation flight with five other aircraft.

During the accomplishment of the formation portion of the mission, the XB-70A and the F-104N collided. The mission aircraft were aligning for a photo sequence prior to landing when the right-hand wing tip (in a folded down position) of the XB-70 and the top of the left-hand horizontal stabilizer of the F-104 (813) made contact. Both aircraft became uncontrollable and the F-104N bursted into flames on its way down. The XB-70 copilot and the F-104N pilot, testpilot Dr Joseph A Walker received fatal injuries. The pilot of the F104, was killed instantly on impact.

For more information and photos we advise you to visit the wonderful page regarding this tragic accident on the x-hunters page: http://www.thexhunters.com/xpeditions/xb-70a_accident.html