| Aircraft
Accidents Theodore Freeman Charles Bassett II Elliot See Clifton Williams, Jr. Robert Lawrence Michael Adams Yuri Gagarin John McKay Stephen Thorne Stanley David Griggs Manley Carter, Jr. Patricia Hilliard Robertson
Apollo 1
Soyuz 11
Challenger STS-51L
Columbia STS-107 Other |
Born: 8 December 1922, in Portsmouth, Virginia. Education: Received a bachelor of science degree from Virginia Polytechnic Institute in 1950.. Marital Status: Married. Children: Eight. Experience: John McKay learned to fly while in high school, soloing when he was 18 years old. While attending Virginia Polytechnic Institute he worked for the National Advisory Committee on Aeronautics (NACA, which would become NASA in 1958) as a model builder at Langley Field. At the start of World War II McKay joined the Navy and became a fighter pilot. He flew combat missions from the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Hornet against Japan. Following the war he returned to Virginia Polytechnic Institute, where he graduated with a B.S. in aeronautical engineering in 1950. NACA/NASA Experience: In 1951, John McKay rejoined NACA as a test pilot at Edwards Air Force Base, California. He flew the X-1B, X-1E, D-558, X-4, X-5, F-100, F-102, F-104, F-107, and 29 flights of the X-15. While flying the Number 2 X-15 on 9 November 1962 (X-15 program flight 74), an engine malfunction forced McKay to make an emergency landing at Mud Lake near Edwards AFB. He was injured when the damaged vehicle flipped over. Although he would fly the X-15 22 more times, he continued to experience back pain from this accident. On X-15 flight 150 on 28 September 1965, McKay flew to an altitude of 90,099 meters (295,600 feet, or 55.62 miles) at maximum speed of 6005 kph (3707 mph). This altitude was high enough (by USAF definition) for him to earn the title of astronaut. Still experiencing pain from the accident, he took a medical retirement from NASA in 1971. On 15 April 1975, John McKay passed away due to complications from his accident which led to cancer, at the age of 52. |
