M2-F2 Lifting Body Crash
The battered hulk of the M2-F2 lifting body rests upside-down on Rogers Dry Lake after its crash on May 10, 1967.
On May 10, 1967, NASA research pilot Bruce Petersen was severely injured when the wingless M2-F2 lifting body crashed and flipped over numerous times on the bed of Rogers Dry Lake at Edwards Air Force Base. This was the 16th and last glide flight of the M2-F2 before it was scheduled to have begun powered flight with its XLR-11 rocket engine.
As Peterson neared the lakebed, the M2-F2 entered a “Dutch roll” oscillation. Peterson regained control, but then was distracted by a rescue helicopter that seemed to pose a risk of collision. Distracted, Peterson drifted in a crosswind to an unmarked area of the lakebed where it was very difficult to judge the height over the lakebed surface because of a lack of the guidance markers provided on the lakebed runway. Although Peterson fired the landing rockets to provide additional lift, the M2-F2 hit the lakebed before the landing gear was fully down and locked and rolled over six times. Peterson eventually recovered from severe injuries he sustained in the crash, although he lost vision in his right eye.
Film footage of the M2-F2 crash was later used in the opening sequence of the popular 1970s-era television show, “The Six-million Dollar Man.”› Read moreE-16731
NASA Photo