Historic Northrup N9M Flying Wing Crashes into NorCal Prison Yard

Well scheisse.

That's the risk we take flying rare and historic aircraft.
 
DAMN! That sucks. Always thought the N9M was a cool plane, particularly the engines utilizing a "torque converter" of sorts to account for vibrations in the long shaft from engines to props. Also cool that these original flying wings did so without any fly by wire

Sad for the loss of life. Surely the pilot at least had the opportunity to perish doing something they loved

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Tantalum said:
Given that it's a fate we all must face one day I'd rather go flying or sailing or skiing then from something like cancer or a car accident. The cliche nature of the statement though can get tiresome I agree with you
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I am with you on this. I understand why people don’t like the analogy, and I respect it, but I would rather not suffer for months tied to a bed.
 
I remember seeing a photo of it flying a few years ago and feeling unsettled about it because it was such a rare and historic aircraft.
 
A tragic loss of a pilot and the airplane.

I was at Chino about 20 years ago and got to climb under the N9M when they were working to solve a gear rigging problem. I wish I'd gotten to see it fly.
 
FlySince9 said:
I hate that analogy... don’t know why... just do...
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I don’t like it either. I’ve always told people not to say this at my funeral if I die in a plane crash. I love flying. I don’t love crashing and dying.

As far as flying rare aircraft, I say keep flying them. This one was privately owned and if not for the money the owner put into it, it probably would have rotted in the back of a hangar.
 
WannFly said:
I understand why people don’t like the analogy, and I respect it, but I would rather not suffer for months tied to a bed
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After having seen a parent battle and die from cancer I patently said F**** that. If I become terminally ill I'm skipping the treatment and meds and buying a boat and sailing around the world until either a storm or pirates take me out.. that's a much cooler way to go at least than "well Tantalum was taken off the ventilator at St Mary's Hospital and 3:07PM" <- yuck!

Lowflynjack said:
As far as flying rare aircraft, I say keep flying them
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Amen brotha! The N9M was a remarkably cool aircraft, especially since it served as a tech demonstrator for the whole flying wing concept

Lowflynjack said:
I’ve always told people not to say this at my funeral
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I'd like to have fun at my funeral, like pay two dudes to stand in a corner in suites somewhere talking into earpieces so everyone will have thought I lived a secret double life
 
Tantalum said:
After having seen a parent battle and die from cancer I patently said F**** that. If I become terminally ill I'm skipping the treatment and meds and buying a boat and sailing around the world until either a storm or pirates take me out.. that's a much cooler way to go at least than "well Tantalum was taken off the ventilator at St Mary's Hospital and 3:07PM" <- yuck!
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I'll roll with you. Can we take a shotgun and an M1?
 
Tantalum said:
After having seen a parent battle and die from cancer I patently said F**** that. If I become terminally ill I'm skipping the treatment and meds and buying a boat and sailing around the world until either a storm or pirates take me out.. that's a much cooler way to go at least than "well Tantalum was taken off the ventilator at St Mary's Hospital and 3:07PM" <- yuck!


Amen brotha! The N9M was a remarkably cool aircraft, especially since it served as a tech demonstrator for the whole flying wing concept


I'd like to have fun at my funeral, like pay two dudes to stand in a corner in suites somewhere talking into earpieces so everyone will have thought I lived a secret double life
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Similar story here. Watched my best friend / brother suffer for 9 months with cancer and passed away. He was 42. I had a similar reaction ... Fu&$ this sh@t I would rather go fast. Of course none of these are in our control. But still. Don’t care about funeral, I am gone already, people can say whatever they want, ain’t my problem anymore.
 
Damn - really sucks for the loss of life and a rare, beautiful plane. I've seen it fly at the Planes of Fames Airshow at CNO, in 2014 and 2018. I still wear my N9M T-shirt.
 
I don't like that sentiment either. Even if it seems less drawn-out painful, it's actually easier on the people you love to know they have had time to say goodbye, try to make up, whatever. And no, I don't want anyone saying that about me, either, period. If I messed up, you can be very sure that the last few seconds I was pretty upset with myself or whatever broke, and that's not doing what I love...
 
Tantalum said:
I'd like to have fun at my funeral, like pay two dudes to stand in a corner in suites somewhere talking into earpieces so everyone will have thought I lived a secret double life
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I am working on a video funeral. As people walk in I'll be up on the screen, nodding and waving at everyone. Then I'll start by thanking everyone for taking time to show up. I will talk a little about my life and some of the things I have done and seen, thank certain people in my life, things like that. Then at the end I will climb into a race car and make a couple high speed passes, then get out and climb into a plane, take off, make one high speed low pass and then head west.... fading into the sunset, while the song, ''Walking on Sunshine'' plays at a high volume.

Cds will be available after the service.....
 
Tantalum said:
Given that it's a fate we all must face one day I'd rather go flying or sailing or skiing then from something like cancer or a car accident.
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I would actually prefer go out in a car crash mainly because no matter how you spin it, a plane crash would be a bad look for GA. Just make the sure the car crash is the other person's fault.
 
Wow, at least three fatals yesterday (two in Texas.)
 
WannFly said:
Similar story here. Watched my best friend / brother suffer for 9 months with cancer and passed away. He was 42. I had a similar reaction ... Fu&$ this sh@t I would rather go fast. Of course none of these are in our control. But still. Don’t care about funeral, I am gone already, people can say whatever they want, ain’t my problem anymore.
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Totally agree.. mother had it for a long time, but it's that last 6-9 months that are miserable. Really wouldn't wish that on anybody. Cancer is insidious.

RyanShort1 said:
If I messed up, you can be very sure that the last few seconds I was pretty upset with myself or whatever broke, and that's not doing what I love...
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PeterNSteinmetz said:
I would like to think that in last few seconds I would still be trying to figure out how save it and survive.
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Knowing I'd end up being discussed on POA, in a Cirrus of all planes, has been an active factor in my ADM
 
Tantalum said:
After having seen a parent battle and die from cancer I patently said F**** that. If I become terminally ill I'm skipping the treatment and meds and buying a boat and sailing around the world until either a storm or pirates take me out.. that's a much cooler way to go at least than "well Tantalum was taken off the ventilator at St Mary's Hospital and 3:07PM" <- yuck!
Click to expand...
 
From CAF SoCal

By now you’ve all read about the tragic loss of Planes of Fame’s Northrop N-9M flying wing and pilot.
The N-9M was a unique national treasure and the fatal crash has left us deeply saddened. Our thoughts are with the pilot’s family, our Planes of Fame friends and the warbird community at large, all of whom are deeply effected by the sorrow of this loss.

Why do we do this? Why take on the risks of operating vintage aircraft, sometimes paying that ultimate cost?

Far from being adrenaline junkies pushing the latest energy drink, in our opinion, we do this to follow our passions and seek a connection with the brave men and women of an important part of our collective history. Not to do so, would condemn these aircraft to becoming dusty, soulless relics in museums and within pages of history books, soon to be forgotten along with what they stood for and the price that was paid by a generation of people to preserve our freedoms.

It offers little comfort to the larger surviving family of this tragedy, but thank you for doing what you do, may we take some solace from the thought that to follow one’s passions in life is a blessing few can boast. We’ll miss the N9M and even more, our friend who has traded one set of wings for another.
 
"well Tantalum was taken off the ventilator at St Mary's Hospital and 3:07PM" <

You heard it here first!
 
Bobanna said:
"well Tantalum was taken off the ventilator at St Mary's Hospital and 3:07PM" <
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LOL!!

Not quite ready to throw the towel in yet. But I'm pretty sure I'd be a DNR case if I ever ended up in that predicament
 
Lowflynjack said:
From CAF SoCal

By now you’ve all read about the tragic loss of Planes of Fame’s Northrop N-9M flying wing and pilot.
The N-9M was a unique national treasure and the fatal crash has left us deeply saddened. Our thoughts are with the pilot’s family, our Planes of Fame friends and the warbird community at large, all of whom are deeply effected by the sorrow of this loss.

Why do we do this? Why take on the risks of operating vintage aircraft, sometimes paying that ultimate cost?

Far from being adrenaline junkies pushing the latest energy drink, in our opinion, we do this to follow our passions and seek a connection with the brave men and women of an important part of our collective history. Not to do so, would condemn these aircraft to becoming dusty, soulless relics in museums and within pages of history books, soon to be forgotten along with what they stood for and the price that was paid by a generation of people to preserve our freedoms.

It offers little comfort to the larger surviving family of this tragedy, but thank you for doing what you do, may we take some solace from the thought that to follow one’s passions in life is a blessing few can boast. We’ll miss the N9M and even more, our friend who has traded one set of wings for another.
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The CAF's schtick about "condemn[ing] these aircraft to becoming dusty, soulless relics in museums and within pages of history books, soon to be forgotten along with what they stood for and the price that was paid by a generation of people to preserve our freedoms" has little to do with an aircraft which was not only the sole example of an important historical design that presaged the giant XB-35 and YB-49 bombers (which were intentionally destroyed by the Air Force), it was the only tangible link to the genius of Jack Northrup.

Planes of Fame exhibited massive hubris by believing they could fly this treasure repeatedly without consequence. The outcome shows the N-9M was exactly what it appeared to be, a test aircraft that was 77 years old with Franklin engines which were known to be fragile, the cause of a 2006 inflight engine fire that damaged the aircraft, and almost certainly the reason the N-9M has been swept up in a pile and carted away.

It should not have been flying.
 
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3393RP said:
The CAF's schtick about "condemn[ing] these aircraft to becoming dusty, soulless relics in museums and within pages of history books, soon to be forgotten along with what they stood for and the price that was paid by a generation of people to preserve our freedoms" has little to do with an aircraft which was not only the sole example of an important historical design that presaged the giant XB-35 and YB-49 bombers (which were intentionally destroyed by the Air Force), it was the only tangible link to the genius of Jack Northrup.

Planes of Fame exhibited massive hubris by believing they could fly this treasure repeatedly without consequence. The outcome shows the N-9M was exactly what it appeared to be, a test aircraft that was 77 years old with Franklin engines which were known to be fragile, the cause of a 2006 inflight engine fire that damaged the aircraft, and almost certainly the reason the N-9M has been swept up in a pile and carted away.

It should not have been flying.
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The reason many of these airplanes are restored at all is because of private owners spending the money to restore them. They owned it and chose to fly it. I'm glad many of these planes are still flown, even if they're one-of-a-kind.

As far as the wisdom of flying this design, I agree it may not have been the best choice. It was a horrible design, as were later flying wings. General Robert Cardenas warned Glenn Edwards that the YB-49 was a flawed design and would fall backwards in a stall. Jack Northrup disagreed and had a falling out with Cardenas. Of course Glenn Edwards died in a YB-49 and General Cardenas just turned 99 last month.
 
3393RP said:
The CAF's schtick about "condemn[ing] these aircraft to becoming dusty, soulless relics in museums and within pages of history books, soon to be forgotten along with what they stood for and the price that was paid by a generation of people to preserve our freedoms" has little to do with an aircraft which was not only the sole example of an important historical design that presaged the giant XB-35 and YB-49 bombers (which were intentionally destroyed by the Air Force), it was the only tangible link to the genius of Jack Northrup.

Planes of Fame exhibited massive hubris by believing they could fly this treasure repeatedly without consequence. The outcome shows the N-9M was exactly what it appeared to be, a test aircraft that was 77 years old with Franklin engines which were known to be fragile, the cause of a 2006 inflight engine fire that damaged the aircraft, and almost certainly the reason the N-9M has been swept up in a pile and carted away.

It should not have been flying.
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I agree with @Lowflynjack in general above. We still have the N1M at the Smithsonian, and the B-2 as links to Jack Northrop. The N-9M has been flown for many years, so I hope the knew the flying characteristics, such that they didn't try to fly near the edges of its flight envelope. Old Rhinebeck also has a collection of early aircraft. A private collection that prevented them from being lost to history.
 
And they crash and rebuild those planes at Old Rhinebeck from time to time. A couple of YouTube videos of the crashes are available.

I still have my membership there until mid June or something if anyone wants to meet up for a show sometime.
 
If they find the data plate, they can rebuild it. There's a couple of threads about that.
 
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