Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-03-06
Powers Followed
His Flight Plan

1t was a particularly grueling
assignment across the heart of
Soviet Russia and ending on
the northwest coast of Norway.
1t was necessary to maintain
extreme altitude at heights at
which no other plane but the
U-2 had steadily flown.
So far as can be ascertained
Mr.. Powers followed the sched-
uled flight plan, making a pre-
scribed turn to the northwest
when nearing the city of
SverdlovSk where he was di-
rectly on course. According to
his statement, he had settled
on his new course and had
Sverdlovsk in sight, perhaps 20
or 80 miles away, when he felt
and heard something he de-
ScribeS as a push or feeling of
acceleration on the plane &C
compauied by a dull noise I'M
like the sharp sound of a high
explosive.
This caused him to look up
from his instruments, and he
saw surrounding him, or per-
hapS reflected in his canopy
he is not sure-an orange or
reddish glare which seemed to
persist. He felt this phenome-
non to be external to the plane
but says he cannot be sure. For
a moment the plane continued
to fly normally, then it dipped
to the right but he found he
was able to control this dip
and level the plane with his
normal controls.
Shortly thereafter, however,
the plane began to nose for
ward, and Mr.. Powers states
that as he drew back on the
stick he felt no control as if
the control lines had been sew
cred. The plane nosed sharply
over and went into violent
maneuver, at which point he
believes the wings came off.
The hull of the plane then
turned completely over, and he
found himself in an inverted
spin with the nose high revolv-
ing around the center of the
fuselage so that all he could
see through the canopy looking
ahead was the sky revolving
around the nose of the plane.
This motion exerted G forces
on him which threw him for
ward and up in the cockpit.
At this point he states he
could have reached the destruct
switches which would have set
off an explosive charge in the
bottom of the plane. However,
he realized that this charge
would go off in 10 seconds and
he did not yet know if he
could leave the plane. He
stated that he tried to draw
himself back into the seat to
see if he could activate the
ELECTION mechanism but the G.
forces prevented him from re-
covering his position. Being
forward and out of the seat,
even if he could have used the
election mechanism, which was
below and behind him, it would
have seriously injured him if
activated.
He recalled that it was pos
sible to open the canopy man.
ually, and shortly thereafter
he was able to do so and the
canopy disappeared. His last /
recollection of the altimeter was
that he was at about $4,000
feet and descending rapidly. To
see II ne could get out of the
cockpit, he released his seat
belt and was Immediately
thrown forward out over the
cowling of the cockpit to a po-
Sition where he was held only
by his oxygen tube.
He tried to pull himself back
in the cockpit to the destruct
switches which take four sep
arate manipulations TO set and |
found himself unable TO do so
because of the G forces, the in
flation of his pressure suit, and
the Jogging up of his lace mask
which totally obScured i,is view.
BY pushing he tore loose the
oxygen tube and fell free,
W n upon his parachute
opened almost Immediately, in
dicating that he was probably
at $4,000 feet or below at this
time since the automatic mech
aniSm was set for this height.
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