Jack Northrop's Flying Wing was a most unusual design for  its day.  Designated the YB-49, it was on a test flight from the Muroc Air  Base in California on June 5, 1948 when it went out of control and crashed.  It took off  from Muroc, now Edwards Air Force Base, at 06:44 in the morning for the scheduled three hour test flight.  Onboard was Daniel H. Forbes, pilot,  Glen W. Edwards, copilot, Clare C. Lesser, Edward L. Swindell and C. H. LaFountain.  At 07:55 it was seen to go out of control and fall to the ground inverted.  The point of impact is about twelve miles north west of Edwards AFB, and eight miles east of the town of Mojave California.

	This picture was made from the actual roll of microfilm that contained the crash report.  It is of very poor quality, but you can still see the eight jet engines mounted on the 172 foot wing span as it makes a low approach.  The maiden flight of this massive brainchild of designer Jack Northrop was on October 21, 1947.  The plane was one of the fastest big bombers of its day and could fly at 500 miles per hour. In 1948, it set an endurance record for staying aloft for nine and a half hours without refueling.  The YB-49 program was eventually dropped in favor of the B-36, because among other things, it could not carry an Atomic Bomb.
	This photograph was also taken from the original roll of microfilm.  In it you can see the right main landing gear and two military ambulances that were sent to retrieve the bodies of the crew.  The aircraft hit the ground inverted with the nose pointing on a heading of approximately 300 degrees.  Immediately upon hitting the ground, it exploded and the entire wreckage was consumed by fire.  There was very little forward momentum on impact.  Pieces of the airplanes flaps, elevons, fins and both wing tips were scattered from the main wreckage on a heading of 050 degrees.  All aboard were killed.
	This is how the site looks today (1999).  Those are not white rocks!  They are the remains of the molten metal from the fire.  The vegetation  has still not recovered at the site after more than fifty-two years.   In the background, to the west, are the Tehachapi Mountains and the town of Mojave.  There are tiny pieces of wreckage all over this area, but all of the larger pieces have disappeared over the years.
	This photo shows how much activity there has been at the site over the years.  These mounds of dirt were created by souvenir hunters looking for that prize piece of wreckage that contains a serial number or data plate.  At one time, there were large pieces of wreckage left behind, but fifty two years of scavenging has removed almost everything.
	This shows how intense the fire was.  This looks like porous lava rock, but it is actually what was left of the YB-49 after the fire.  This material was scattered around the main impact point, and is about the only way you can identify the spot. The smaller pieces of wreckage can not be seen until you get out of your vehicle and start walking around the area.
	After walking in the ravine for about fifty yards, I was able to find these small pieces of wreckage.  The main site is on a small sloping hill and when it rains, the water uncovers a few more little pieces. As a reference, I placed a quarter on the small piece of aluminum in the upper left of this pictures.
There is a group who would like to place a memorial at this crash site, in memory of those who died.  I hope they succeed!  Edwards Air Force Base was named for Captain Glen Edwards who was killed here. The site is only a half mile off the main highway going east out of Mojave.	Everyday, there are hundreds of people heading east to Barstow or Las Vegas on this stretch of California Highway 58.  Little do they know that on both sides of this desert highway are the remains of many experimental "X" craft that were on a test flight from Edwards AFB.

    You can read more about this accident in the new book  "Aircraft Wrecks In The Mountains and Deserts Of California" (3rd edition), by G. Pat Macha and Don R. Jordan.  It is available from  Don R. Jordan, Info Net Publishing, or any retail book store.

    All color photos are the property of Don R. Jordan, and may not be reproduced without permission.  Black and white photos were printed from the original archived microfilm.