X-15 Crash Site


Major Michael Adams' X-15 - Ship Number 3

Buy this book! Worth twice the price just for the CD. Flight manuals, individual flight reports, etc. etc.

Major Michael Adams' X-15, having come apart at incredible speed and altitude, is spread out over dozens of square miles very near Randsburg. Not only is the strewn field huge, but the terrain is generally extremely rugged. Pieces of the aircraft are extremely difficult to find.

The cockpit section came to rest in a relatively flat area at the base of some low hills. The site is difficult to find. There is no recognizable crater, nor are artifacts in abundance. Usually, a crash site will be littered with small bits of metal, but it is possible to stand at the exact spot, and be unaware of the existence of a crash site.

This mock-up of the #3 ship is on display at the AFFTC Museum on Edwards AFB. It is one of two such mock-ups on the base (the other can be seen at the Dryden Flight Research Center).

Balls 8 still incorporates the X-15 into it's logo.

The X-15 launch insignia is retained to this day. The Balls 8 B-52 made 140 X-15 flights.

The original X-15 pylon has been modified and is now used by the X-38.

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