Air Force test pilot Maj. Michael J. Adams stands beside X-15 ship number one.
Michael J. AdamsECN-1651
Air Force test pilot Maj. Michael Adams stands beside X-15 ship number one. Adams was selected for the X-15 program in 1966 and made his first flight on Oct. 6, 1966. On Nov. 15, 1967, Adams made his seventh and final X-15 flight. The X-15 launched from the B-52, but during the ascent an electrical problem affected the X-15’s control system. The aircraft crashed northwest of Cuddeback Lake, CA, causing Adams’ death.
He was posthumously awarded Air Force astronaut wings because his final flight exceeded 50 miles in altitude. Adams was the only pilot lost in the 199-flight X-15 program.March 22, 1967NASA Photo / › Pilots Description