The first flight of the N-9M occurred on 27 December 1942 with Northrop test pilot John Myers at the controls. During the next five months, 45 flights were made. Nearly all were terminated by various mechanical failures, the Menasco engines being the primary source of the problems. After roughly 22.5 hours of accumulated flight time, the first N-9M crashed approximately 12 miles (19 km) west of Muroc Army Air Base (now
Edwards Air Force Base) on 19 May 1943. The pilot, Max Constant, was killed as he attempted to recover the aircraft from a right-hand, 60° nose-down spin. The investigation found that Constant had suffered
control reversal, the
control column had been pressed against his chest during his recovery attempt from the steep spin, preventing him from parachuting to safety. Actions were taken to fix this problem and prevent it from happening on other N-9M test aircraft. From 1993, the yellow-and-blue Flying Wing was exhibited, with flight demonstrations at several airshows every year. In April 2006, the N-9MB suffered an in-flight engine fire. The aircraft was landed safely with limited damage. Donations to the museum were solicited for its repair, and the aircraft was fully repaired to flight status. It was flown again during the annual Chino airshow on 15–16 May 2010. The pilot was killed but no ground casualties were reported. The
National Transportation Safety Board attributed the crash to the "pilot's loss of control for undetermined reasons", stating that "given the significant fragmentation of the wreckage, the reason for the loss of control could not be determined". Shortly after take-off from
Chino Airport, the aircraft crashed on the grounds of the
California Rehabilitation Center, a state prison in Norco, at 12:10 pm local time. The pilot and sole aircraft occupant was killed but no ground casualties were reported. The 51-year-old male pilot David Vopat was a
certified flight instructor and held an
airline transport pilot certificate. He held
type ratings for various modern and historical aircraft, and had accrued 20,029 hours of total flight time, including 25 flight hours in the accident aircraft over a 4-year period. He was wearing a parachute during the accident flight. The NTSB opened an investigation under accident number WPR19FA118. The aircraft crashed in an outpatient housing yard of the prison complex, and had touched down right wingtip first, as evidenced by a ground scar consistent with the green plastic right wing
navigation light lens. Most aircraft wreckage was found in an impact crater about long located about from the initial point of impact. Most parts of the left and right propeller assemblies were found within of the main wreckage site, although one propeller tip was found away. Two separate portions of the canopy and window structure were found about and away from the main impact site, on opposing sides of the aircraft's flight path. The NTSB recovered the wreckage for further examination. Various parts of the flight control system, propellers and engines were identified, but most showed signs of impact damage, and the engines were "severely fragmented". Various control cables were found separated by impact forces although safety clips or
safety wire were still in place. The aircraft seatbelt was found unbuckled. Post-crash toxicological testing found traces of
ethanol and
pseudoephedrine or
ephedrine in the pilot's body, but the NTSB concluded that the concentrations were too small to be a contributing factor, and ruled out
alcohol intoxication. The NTSB final report states that the crash was caused by the "pilot's loss of control for undetermined reasons", stating that "given the significant fragmentation of the wreckage, the reason for the loss of control could not be determined from the available information." Based on the eyewitness reports, the unbuckled seatbelt, and the location of the canopy relative to the main impact site, the NTSB said that the pilot may have attempted to egress by parachute, but did not have adequate time to do so before ground impact. ==Specifications (N-9M)==