
Capts. Iven C. Kinchloe (left) and Mel Apt pose with the Bell X-2 rocket-powered aircraft. Captain Kinchloe climbed to 126,200 feet altitude in the X-2 Sept. 7, 1956. Captain Apt reached a speed of Mach 3.2 or three times the speed of sound, in the aircraft before it tumbled out of control and he was killed attempting to bail out on Sept. 27, 1956. (U.S. Air Force photo)
On September 27, 1956, Captain Milburn Grant “Mel” Apt became the fastest man alive during his test flight aboard the Bell X-2 supersonic aircraft, reaching speeds three times faster than the speed of sound.
Designed by the U.S. Air Force and NASA’s predecessor, NACA (National Advisory Committee on Aerodynamics), the X-2 was built by the Bell Aircraft Corporation to explore and experiment with supersonic flight tests. There were 12 previous tests on the Bell X-2, but Apt’s would make history.
in 1954, Apt graduated from the Experimental Flight Test Pilot School in Edwards Air Force Base, California. Before his legendary flight, Apt had flown chase planes for other test flights and even pulled a pilot from a burning plane by himself. Unknown to him, the Bell X-2’s thirteenth flight would be Apt’s final flight.
To conserve the limited fuel that the X-2 held, the plane was dropped out of a modified B-50 Superfortress at 30,000 feet in the air. Apt ignited the engine and the rocket propelled plane climbed to 44,000 feet, reaching Mach 1 (767 miles per hour). He continued to climb before reaching 72,000 feet and putting the plane into a dive, reaching Mach 2 (1,534 miles per hour).
At 65,589 feet, Apt beat all previous records speed records, reaching Mach 3 (2,094 miles per hour). He was the fastest flying man alive and would hold the record until 1961, when the X-15 reached four times the speed of sound (Mach 4).
Having been flown 12 times before Apt’s flight, it was known that the plane became unstable at high speeds. Apt was recommended to slow down and turn back towards base. Apt turned, still maintaining his speed at Mach 3. The plane lost control, spinning out in the air as it plummeted towards the ground. Apt’s last radio transmission was “There she goes.”
At an inverted spin, the X-2 fell 40,000 feet at hundreds of miles an hour. While losing and regaining consciousness, Apt initiated the escape capsule and tried to release his parachute with no luck. During the Bell X-2’s thirteenth flight, Captain Milburn Grant Apt was killed upon impact with the Mojave’s desert floor. He was the thirteenth pilot to die on Edwards Air Force Base since 1950.
An investigation followed the accident, finding that the escape capsule mechanism was inadequate and that corners were cut in order to focus on performance and ignoring the pilot’s safety. Test flights were postponed until 1961, when the X-15 arrived on the scene.
Apt was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroism and extraordinary achievement during his test flight.