Scott Crossfield killed in plane crash.
04-20-2006, 11:02 AM
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Scott Crossfield killed in plane crash.
Famed test pilot found in wreckage of plane
Crossfield was first man to fly at twice the speed of sound
RANGER, Georgia (AP) -- Legendary test pilot Scott Crossfield, the first man to fly at twice the speed of sound, was found dead Thursday in the wreckage of a single-engine plane in the mountains of northern Georgia, his son-in-law said.
Searchers discovered the wreckage of a small plane about 50 miles northwest of Atlanta, but the Civil Air Patrol didn't immediately identify the body inside.
Ed Fleming, Crossfield's son-in-law, told The Associated Press from Crossfield's home in Herndon, Virginia, that family had been told it was Crossfield.
Crossfield's Cessna was last spotted in the same area on Wednesday while on flight from Alabama to Virginia.
There were thunderstorms in the area when officials lost radar and radio contact with the plane at 11:15 a.m., said Kathleen Bergen, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Crossfield, 84, had been one of a group of civilian pilots assembled by the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics, the forerunner of NASA, in the early 1950s.
Air Force Capt. Chuck Yeager had already broken the speed of sound in his history-making flight in 1947. But Crossfield set the Mach 2 record -- twice the speed of sound -- in 1953, when he reached 1,300 mph in NACA's Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket.
In 1960, Crossfield reached Mach 2.97 in an X-15 rocket plane launched from a B-52 bomber. The plane reached an altitude of 81,000 feet. At the time, Crossfield was working as a pilot and design consultant for North American Aviation, which made the X-15. He later worked as an executive for Eastern Airlines and Hawker Siddley Aviation.
More recently, Crossfield had a key role in preparations for the attempt to re-enact the Wright brothers' flight on the 100th anniversary of their feat near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. He trained four pilots for the December 17, 2003, flight attempt in a replica of the brothers' flyer, but poor weather prevented the take-off.
Among his many honors, Crossfield was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1983.
On Wednesday, his plane had left Prattville, Alabama, around 9 a.m. en route to Manassas, Virginia, not far from his home.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/20/geo....ap/index.html
Crossfield was first man to fly at twice the speed of sound
RANGER, Georgia (AP) -- Legendary test pilot Scott Crossfield, the first man to fly at twice the speed of sound, was found dead Thursday in the wreckage of a single-engine plane in the mountains of northern Georgia, his son-in-law said.
Searchers discovered the wreckage of a small plane about 50 miles northwest of Atlanta, but the Civil Air Patrol didn't immediately identify the body inside.
Ed Fleming, Crossfield's son-in-law, told The Associated Press from Crossfield's home in Herndon, Virginia, that family had been told it was Crossfield.
Crossfield's Cessna was last spotted in the same area on Wednesday while on flight from Alabama to Virginia.
There were thunderstorms in the area when officials lost radar and radio contact with the plane at 11:15 a.m., said Kathleen Bergen, a spokeswoman for the Federal Aviation Administration.
Crossfield, 84, had been one of a group of civilian pilots assembled by the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics, the forerunner of NASA, in the early 1950s.
Air Force Capt. Chuck Yeager had already broken the speed of sound in his history-making flight in 1947. But Crossfield set the Mach 2 record -- twice the speed of sound -- in 1953, when he reached 1,300 mph in NACA's Douglas D-558-II Skyrocket.
In 1960, Crossfield reached Mach 2.97 in an X-15 rocket plane launched from a B-52 bomber. The plane reached an altitude of 81,000 feet. At the time, Crossfield was working as a pilot and design consultant for North American Aviation, which made the X-15. He later worked as an executive for Eastern Airlines and Hawker Siddley Aviation.
More recently, Crossfield had a key role in preparations for the attempt to re-enact the Wright brothers' flight on the 100th anniversary of their feat near Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. He trained four pilots for the December 17, 2003, flight attempt in a replica of the brothers' flyer, but poor weather prevented the take-off.
Among his many honors, Crossfield was inducted into the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 1983.
On Wednesday, his plane had left Prattville, Alabama, around 9 a.m. en route to Manassas, Virginia, not far from his home.
Copyright 2006 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Find this article at:
http://www.cnn.com/2006/US/04/20/geo....ap/index.html
04-20-2006, 11:30 AM
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Scott Crossfield is my favorite pilot. Hands down. An aerospace engineer from the University of Colorado, astronuat, test pilot, first pilot to go Mach 2, test pilot for the lifting body (fore runner to the space shuttle), so much more...
Has anyone ever seen the crash of the lifting body? That video is downright amazing. It is a miracle this guy survived that!
Also, for anyone who has a Jeppeson Private Pilot Manual, turn to Chapter 8, page 5 (8-5), and read. This guy lost his engine on a single engine F-100, flew to the airport, landed the airplane... but that wasn't enough for Crossfield. He decided to keep the airplane moving down the taxiway and park it in the hanger without engine power.
This guy is a bad @$$!!
Scott Crossfield will not be forgotten!
Has anyone ever seen the crash of the lifting body? That video is downright amazing. It is a miracle this guy survived that!
Also, for anyone who has a Jeppeson Private Pilot Manual, turn to Chapter 8, page 5 (8-5), and read. This guy lost his engine on a single engine F-100, flew to the airport, landed the airplane... but that wasn't enough for Crossfield. He decided to keep the airplane moving down the taxiway and park it in the hanger without engine power.
This guy is a bad @$$!!
Scott Crossfield will not be forgotten!
04-20-2006, 02:23 PM
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Joined APC: Feb 2006
Position: 767A (Ret)
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Scott Crossfield
In addition to being an aviation legend, Mr. Crossfield was a gentleman; courteous, humorous, and never too busy to talk to a younger pilot. Since he was a naval aviator, I suggest that Patuxent River NAS be re-named in his honor.
04-20-2006, 03:00 PM
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I remember attending an aviation seminar which Scott Crossfield was one of the guest speakers. He related a very funny story to us which put us all in stitches. After one of his test flights he was taxiing his jet to the ramp before a number of reporters. He wanted to coast to a stop before the awaiting reporters. So he shut down the motor, and of course his hydraulics also went T/U. As he said "Luckely the hangar doors stopped the aircrafrt's motion".
After the dust settled, and before a group of shocked and astonished reporters, in his wry sense of humor he stated, and I can't remember the exact words, but, "Chuck Yeagar may have been the first man to break the sound barrier, but Scott Crossfield was the first man to break the hangar barrier." You gotta to admit... a man of true class.
May the winds be on his tail, and the sun never set on his path of flight. A gentleman who will truly be missed... but his memory will live for ever.
After the dust settled, and before a group of shocked and astonished reporters, in his wry sense of humor he stated, and I can't remember the exact words, but, "Chuck Yeagar may have been the first man to break the sound barrier, but Scott Crossfield was the first man to break the hangar barrier." You gotta to admit... a man of true class.
May the winds be on his tail, and the sun never set on his path of flight. A gentleman who will truly be missed... but his memory will live for ever.
04-20-2006, 05:19 PM
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Posts: 17
As a friend of Mr. Fleming, I met him several times at house parties ... but never put 2 and 2 together for the longest time. He was quite a gentleman and spending time with him and his family was quite enjoyable. He will be missed.
05-02-2006, 04:36 PM
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Local Newspaper Story
Test pilot’s plane broke up in storm
04/28/06
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The wreckage of famed test pilot Scott Crossfield’s single-engine plane indicates it broke apart over North Georgia during a severe thunderstorm, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report.
Crossfield, who in the early 1950s was the first person to fly at twice the speed of sound, died April 19 while en route from Prattville, Ala., to his home in Manassas, Va., in his Cessna 210A.
The 84-year-old pilot was the only person aboard when the plane crashed into mountainous terrain in Gordon County.
The NTSB report, released Thursday, said Crossfield checked in with Atlanta air traffic controllers and shortly after 11 a.m. asked to turn to the south because of bad storms in the region.
Radar contact was lost at 11:10 a.m. when the plane was at 5,500 feet, just after the plane entered a Level 6 thunderstorm, the severest type, the report said.
The Federal Aviation Administration says a Level 6 storm is characterized by high wind and severe turbulence.
The report said debris from the aircraft was found in two areas about a mile apart, with the main wreckage in a crater 4 feet deep.
Associated Press
Test pilot’s plane broke up in storm
04/28/06
Email this story to a friend
The wreckage of famed test pilot Scott Crossfield’s single-engine plane indicates it broke apart over North Georgia during a severe thunderstorm, according to a National Transportation Safety Board report.
Crossfield, who in the early 1950s was the first person to fly at twice the speed of sound, died April 19 while en route from Prattville, Ala., to his home in Manassas, Va., in his Cessna 210A.
The 84-year-old pilot was the only person aboard when the plane crashed into mountainous terrain in Gordon County.
The NTSB report, released Thursday, said Crossfield checked in with Atlanta air traffic controllers and shortly after 11 a.m. asked to turn to the south because of bad storms in the region.
Radar contact was lost at 11:10 a.m. when the plane was at 5,500 feet, just after the plane entered a Level 6 thunderstorm, the severest type, the report said.
The Federal Aviation Administration says a Level 6 storm is characterized by high wind and severe turbulence.
The report said debris from the aircraft was found in two areas about a mile apart, with the main wreckage in a crater 4 feet deep.
Associated Press
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