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X-15 Flight 3-65-97, also known as X-15 Flight 191 (being the 191st free flight of the X-15), was a sub-orbital spaceflight of the North American X-15 experimental spaceplane, carrying seven experiments to a peak altitude of 266,000 feet (50.4 mi; 81 km; 43.8 nmi), above NASA's definition of the start of space at 50 miles (80 km) but below the Kármán line definition at 62 miles (100 km).
On 15 November 1967, U.S. Air Force test pilot Major Michael J. Adams was killed during X-15 Flight 191 when X-15-3, AF Ser. No. 56-6672, entered a hypersonic spin while descending, then oscillated violently as aerodynamic forces increased after re-entry.
Twelve pilots flew the X-15 over the course of its career. Scott Crossfield and William Dana flew the X-15 on its first and last free flights, respectively. Joseph Walker set the program's top two altitude records on its 90th and 91st free flights (347,800 and 354,200 feet, respectively), becoming the only pilot to fly past the Kármán line, the 100 kilometer, FAI-recognized boundary of outer ...
The first flight of 6 aircraft, including Lt. Larson, took off with numbers 1 thru 4 in left echelon and numbers 5 and 6 in element 500 ft. behind. Lt. Larson was number 4. All members of the flight were monitoring channel 17, radar departure frequency, and checked in on that freq. prior to takeoff.
On October 3, 1967, Knight piloted X-15 Flight 188, the program's fastest flight. Flying at a maximum Mach of 6.7 and a maximum speed of 4,520 mph (7,274 km/h), he set a speed record for flight in a winged, powered aircraft. [1] The flight was made in the X-15A-2, the second of three planes in the X-15 fleet.
X-15 Flight 191 Michael James Adams (May 5, 1930 – November 15, 1967) ( Maj USAF ) was an American aviator , aeronautical engineer , and USAF astronaut . [ 1 ] He was one of twelve pilots who flew the North American X-15 , an experimental spaceplane jointly operated by the Air Force and NASA .
November 15 – A North American X-15 on a high-altitude flight enters a spin at over Mach 5 and breaks up well above Mach 4, killing its pilot, U.S. Air Force Major Michael J. Adams. His is the only death during the X-15 program. [46] November 16 American aircraft attack the shipyards at Haiphong, North Vietnam, for the first time. [18]
He made his final X-15 flight on July 1, 1966, then returned to regular Air Force duties. He attended F-4 Phantom II Combat Crew Training, went through survival training, and in March 1968 he was sent to Cam Ranh Bay Air Base , Republic of Vietnam , where he was assistant deputy commander for operations with the 12th Tactical Fighter Wing and ...