Northrop Aircraft

Northrop N-23 Pioneer

The three engine aircraft was operated by the manufacturer Northrop in a number of various unimproved and short fields in Southern California (exact place unknown). The crew, consisting of one engineer and two pilots, was performing a test of an experimental dorsal fin. While flying in the vicinity of an airfield, the fin broke loose and damaged the Pioneer’s tail surfaces, making the aircraft uncontrollable. The test pilot Latham A. “Slim” Perrett did what he could to steady the aircraft to allow the copilot and an engineer to parachute to safety. Sadly, there was no time for Perrett to escape. The aircraft was destroyed and the pilot was killed. Source: http://oldmachinepress.com/2014/05/17/northrop-n-23-pioneer-and-n-32-yc-125-raider/