NX8500H

On February 2, 1948 at 12:00 AM, NX8500H experienced a crash involving Northrop N-23 Pioneer, operated by Northrop Aircraft, with the event recorded near California California.

The flight was categorized as test and the reported phase was flight at a airport (less than 10 km from airport) crash site.

3 people were known to be on board, 1 fatalities were recorded, 2 survivors were identified or estimated. This corresponds to an estimated fatality rate of 33.3%.

Crew on board: 3, crew fatalities: 1, passengers on board: 0, passenger fatalities: 0, other fatalities: 0.

The listed crash cause is technical failure. 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/

Aircraft reference details include registration NX8500H, MSN 2501.

Geospatial coordinates for this crash are approximately 32.7288°, -117.1528°.