Date & Time:
Feb 19, 1948
Type of aircraft:
Northrop N-23 Pioneer
Operator:
Registration:
NX8500H
Flight Phase:
Flight
Flight Type:
Test
Survivors:
Yes
Site:
Plain, Valley
Schedule:
Hawthorne - Hawthorne
MSN:
2501
YOM:
1946
Country:
United States of America
Region:
North America
Crew on board:
3
Crew fatalities:
1
Pax on board:
0
Pax fatalities:
0
Other fatalities:
0
Total fatalities:
1
Circumstances:
The three engine airplane was engaged in a series of tests out from Hawthorne Airfield. The crew, consisting of one flight engineer and two pilots, was performing a test of an experimental dorsal fin. In flight, the fin broke loose and damaged the tail surfaces, causing the airplane to become uncontrollable. The copilot and the flight engineer bailed out and parachuted to safety while the pilot Latham A. Perrett was killed. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and post crash fire.
Probable cause:
Loss of control in flight following a structural failure of the fin.
