Title - USAF Astronaut Michael J. Adams
Description - USAF Major Michael James "Mike" Adams (May 5, 1930 – November 15, 1967), American aviator, Air Force test pilot, aeronautical engineer, and USAF astronaut. He was the first American space mission fatality, according to the United States definition.
Adams stands beside X-15 ship number one. He was selected for the X-15 program in 1966 and made his first flight on Oct. 6, 1966. On Nov. 15, 1967, Adams made his seventh and final X-15 flight. The X-15 launched from the B-52, but during the ascent an electrical problem affected the X-15's control system. The aircraft crashed northwest of Cuddeback Lake, California, causing the death of Adams. He was posthumously awarded Air Force astronaut wings because his final flight exceeded 50 miles in altitude. Adams was the only pilot lost in the 199-flight X-15 program.
Description Source - NASA
Year - March 22, 1967