Deadly Photoshoot, 1966 North American XB 70 Mid Air Accident

Please support this channel by following me on Patreon On 8 June 1966, XB70A No. 2 was in close formation with four other aircraft (an F4 Phantom, an F5, a T38 Talon, and an F104 Starfighter) for a photoshoot at the behest of General Electric, manufacturer of the engines of all five aircraft. After the photoshoot, the F104 drifted into the XB70 s right wing, flipped and rolled inverted over the top of the Valkyrie, before striking the bomber s vertical stabilizers and left wing. The F104 then exploded, destroying the Valkyrie s rudders and damaging its left wing. With the loss of both rudders and damage to the wings, the Valkyrie entered an uncontrollable spin and crashed north of Barstow, California. NASA Chief Test Pilot Joe Walker (F104 pilot) and Carl Cross (XB70 copilot) were killed. Al White (XB70 pilot) ejected, sustaining serious injuries, including the crushing of his arm by the closing clamshelllike escape crew capsule moments prior to ejection. Music