Practice approach

Pre-impact

Post-impact 1

Post-impact 2

The Controlled Impact Demonstration (or jokingly Crash In the Desert) was a joint project between NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to test the impact of a Boeing 720 aircraft using standard fuel with an additive designed to suppress fire. The additive FM-9, a high molecular-weight long chain polymer, when blended with Jet-A fuel had demonstrated the capability to inhibit ignition and flame propagation of the released fuel in simulated impact tests. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1800x1143, 2216 KB) Practice flight for the ultimate destruction of that aircraft for NASAs Controlled Impact Demonstration. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1800x1143, 2216 KB) Practice flight for the ultimate destruction of that aircraft for NASAs Controlled Impact Demonstration. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1920x1401, 765 KB) This Boeing 720 is sliding towards its imminent destruction in NASAs Controlled Impact Demonstration. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1920x1401, 765 KB) This Boeing 720 is sliding towards its imminent destruction in NASAs Controlled Impact Demonstration. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1548x1115, 2231 KB) NASA photo ID: EC84-31806 Moments after hitting and sliding through the wing openers the aircraft burst into flame, with a spectacular fireball seen emanating from the right inboard engine area. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1548x1115, 2231 KB) NASA photo ID: EC84-31806 Moments after hitting and sliding through the wing openers the aircraft burst into flame, with a spectacular fireball seen emanating from the right inboard engine area. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1800x1400, 856 KB) In NASAs Controlled Impact Demonstration the fuel tanks of a Boeing 720 have been ripped open during a planned crash landing and are spraying fuel everywhere. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1800x1400, 856 KB) In NASAs Controlled Impact Demonstration the fuel tanks of a Boeing 720 have been ripped open during a planned crash landing and are spraying fuel everywhere. ... The National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) (established 1958) is the government agency responsible for the United States of Americas space program and long-term general aerospace research. ... Dryden Flight Research Centers fleet of aircraft in 1993. ... The Federal Aviation Administration is the entity of the United States government which regulates and oversees all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S. // Activities Along with the European Joint Aviation Authorities, the FAA is one of the two main agencies worldwide responsible for the certification of new aircraft. ... Pan Am 707 The Boeing 707 is a four engined commercial passenger jet aircraft developed by Boeing in the early 1950s. ... A polymer is a generic term used to describe a substantially long molecule. ...

Jet-A and FM-9 together form antimisting kerosene (AMK) which cannot be introduced directly into a gas turbine engine due to several possible problems such as clogging of filters. The AMK must be restored to almost Jet-A before being introduced into the engine for burning. This restoration is called "degradation" and was accomplished on the B-720 using a device called a "degrader". Each of the four Pratt & Whitney JT3C-7 engines had a "degrader" built and installed by General Electric (GE) to break down and return the AMK to near Jet-A quality. This machine has a single-stage radial compressor and turbine, a recuperator, and foil bearings. ... The Pratt & Whitney JT3C was a turbojet engine of the 1950s. ... The General Electric Company, or GE, (NYSE: GE) is a multinational technology and services company. ...

On the morning of December 1, 1984, a remotely controlled Boeing 720 transport took off from Edwards Air Force Base, California, made a left-hand departure and climbed to an altitude of 2300 feet. It then began a descent-to-landing to a specially prepared runway on the east side of Rogers Dry Lake. Final approach was along the roughly 3.8-degree glideslope. The landing gear was left retracted. Passing the decision height of 150 feet above ground level (AGL), the aircraft was slightly to the right of the desired path. Just above that decision point at which the pilot was to execute a "go-around," there appeared to be enough altitude to maneuver back to the centerline of the runway. Data acquisition systems had been activated, and the aircraft was committed to impact. It contacted the ground, left wing low. The fire and smoke took over an hour to extinguish. December 1 is the 335th (in leap years the 336th) day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Shadow 200 UAV flying over Iraq. ... Edwards Air Force Base is an airbase located on the border of Kern County and Los Angeles County, California in the Antelope Valley, 7 miles (11 km) due East of Rosamond, at 34°57′ N 117°52′ W. An airbase since 1933, Edwards has long been a home for flight... State nickname: The Golden State Other U.S. States Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger Official languages English Area 410,000 km² (3rd)  - Land 404,298 km²  - Water 20,047 km² (4. ... Glideslope is the word used for the final approach segment of an Instrument Approach by an airpline, by means of ILS (Instrument Landing System) or MLS (Microwave Landing System). ... Main and nosewheel undercarriage of a Qatar Airways Airbus A330 The undercarriage or landing gear is equipment which supports an aircraft when it is not flying. ... A go around is an aborted landing of an aircraft. ...

In addition to the AMK research the NASA Langley Research Center was involved in a structural loads measurement experiment which included having instrumented dummies filling the seats in the passenger compartment. Before the final flight on December 1, 1984, more than four years of effort passed trying to set-up final impact conditions considered survivable by the FAA. During those years while 14 flights with crews were flown the following major efforts were underway: NASA Dryden developed the remote piloting techniques necessary for the B-720 to fly as a drone aircraft; General Electric installed and tested four degraders (one on each engine); and the FAA refined AMK (blending, testing, and fueling a full size aircraft). The 14 flights had 9 takeoffs, 13 landings and around 69 approaches, to about 150 feet above the prepared crash site, under remote control. These flight were used to introduce AMK one step at a time into some of the fuel tanks and engines while monitoring the performance of the engines. On the final flight (No. 15) with no crew, all fuel tanks were filled with a total of 76,000 pounds of AMK and all engines ran from start-up to impact (the flight time was 9 minutes) on the modified Jet-A. Langley Research Center (LaRC) Oldest of NASAs field centers, LaRC is located in Hampton, Virginia, and focuses primarily on aeronautical research. ... Hybrid III is the de facto standard crash test dummy. ...

The aircraft was remotely flown by NASA research pilot Fitzhugh (Fitz) Fulton from the NASA Dryden Remotely Controlled Vehicle Facility. Previously, the Boeing 720 had been flown on 14 practice flights with safety pilots onboard. During the 14 flights, there were 16 hours and 22 minutes of remotely piloted vehicle control, including 10 remotely piloted takeoffs, 69 remotely piloted vehicle controlled approaches, and 13 remotely piloted vehicle landings on abort runway.

It was planned that the aircraft would land wings-level and exactly on the centerline during the CID, thus allowing the fuselage to remain intact as the wings were sliced open by eight posts cemented into the runway. The Boeing 720 landed askew and caused a cabin fire when burning fuel was able to enter the fuselage. In an aircraft, the fuselage is the main body section that holds crew and passengers or cargo. ...

The CID impact was spectacular with a large fireball enveloping and burning the B-720 aircraft. From the standpoint of AMK the test was a major set-back, but for NASA Langley, the data collected on crashworthiness was deemed successful and just as important.

Additional photographs and videos

Closeup of post-impact 1 Download high resolution version (1200x540, 871 KB)From http://www. ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1548x1115, 2231 KB) NASA photo ID: EC84-31806 Moments after hitting and sliding through the wing openers the aircraft burst into flame, with a spectacular fireball seen emanating from the right inboard engine area. ...

post-impact 3 Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1800x1200, 2408 KB) In NASAs Controlled Impact Demonstration the fuel tanks of a Boeing 720 have been ripped open during a planned crash landing and are spraying fuel everywhere. ...

slapdown Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1800x1396, 806 KB) In this photograph the Boeing 720 is seen during the moments of initial impact for NASAs Controlled Impact Demonstration. ...

Instrumented crash test dummies. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1702x1350, 702 KB) NASA photo ID: ECN-28307 Crash test dummys loaded in the Boeing 720 that is to be destroyed in the Controlled Impact Demonstration. ... Hybrid III is the de facto standard crash test dummy. ...

Controlled Impact Demonstration (CID) sequence ( info) Controlled Impact Demonstration, December, 1984. CID Aircraft in practice flight above target impact site with wing cutters ( info) Controlled Impact Demonstration, December, 1984. Controlled Impact Demonstration (CID) tail camera video ( info) Controlled Impact Demonstration, December, 1984. Problems seeing the videos? Media help.

Download high resolution version (1024x1024, 83 KB) Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... Image File history File links Controlled Impact Demonstration. ... December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Controlled Impact Demonstration 2. ... December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Controlled Impact Demonstration 3. ... December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1984 is a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...