Major Michael Adams, USAF

Major Michael Adams of the U.S. Air Force became the first in-flight fatality of the American space program on November 15, 1967, during his first sub-orbital X-15 space mission, the 191st overall flight and ninth space flight of the program. He conducted the mission to perform six scientific experiments, but during ascent electrical and control problems, compounded by erroneous instrument data and probably vertigo, led to a loss of control during reentry. Adams reported the aircraft as “sqirrelly” and later said, “I’m in a spin,” then recovered from the spin only to enter an inverted dive and violent oscillation as the X-15 descended. Structural limits were exceeded, the vehicle broke apart, and Adams was killed when the forward section impacted the Mojave Desert. He was the 27th American to fly more than 50 miles above Earth’s surface and received astronaut wings posthumously. Born in Sacramento, California, on May 5, 1930, Adams served in the U.S. Air Force after 1950, flew 49 combat missions in Korea, earned an aeronautical engineering degree, graduated with honors from test pilot schools at Edwards, survived a serious F-104 landing accident, participated in lunar landing simulations, joined the X-15 program in 1966 as its 12th and final pilot, and completed six earlier X-15 flights before his fatal seventh flight ended a stellar career.

California · United States