On this day in 1955, North American Aviation production test pilot George F. Smith took off from Los Angeles Airport (known today as LAX) for a test flight of the new F-100A Super Sabre. Climbing to 35,000' over the Pacific Ocean it quickly became apparent something was seriously wrong. The flight controls were heavy, and then there was a hydraulic system failure that caused the Super Sabre to pitch down into a dive. Smith was unable to regain control of the F-100. As he ejected, the force of the windblast knocked him unconscious. Estimates are that he was subjected to a 40 G deceleration. Being the professional he was, he read the instruments: the Machmeter indicated Mach 1.05 (785 miles per hour) and the altitude was 6,500 feet. Smith was unconscious for six days, then awakened to blindness in both eyes. After four surgeries and seven months in the hospital, he recovered and returned to flight status.
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