SPACEPHOTOS

The M2-F2 made its 16th glide flight on May 10, 1967. This was to have been the last flight before igniting the XLR-11 rocket engine for powered flight. As pilot Bruce Peterson neared the lakebed, the M2-F2 suffered a pilot induced oscillation (PIO). Peterson recovered but then was distracted by a rescue helicopter that seemed to pose a risk of collision. Distracted, Peterson drifted in a cross-wind to an unmarked area of the lakebed where it was very difficult to judge the height over the lakebed because of a lack of the guidance the markers provided on the lakebed runway. Although Peterson fired the landing rockets to provide additional lift, he hit the lakebed before the landing gear was fully down and locked. He rolled over six times. Pulled from the vehicle by Jay King and Joseph Huxman, Peterson was rushed to the base hospital, transferred to March Air Force Base and then the UCLA Hospital. He recovered but lost vision in his right eye due to a staph infection.