despite worsening weather , even though he was not qualified to fly on instruments ( IFR ). Cline ’ s plane crashed 90 miles from Nashville , and the NTSB report cited the cause as the pilot ’ s loss of control in conditions for which he was not trained to fly . Along with Cline , musicians Hawkshaw Hawkins , Cowboy Copas , and pilot Randy Hughes were also killed .
The first flight of the AgustaWestland AW609 , a twin-engine tiltrotor VTOL aircraft being developed for the civilian market . Similar to the Boeing V-22 Osprey , the AW609 is capable of vertical takeoff and landing , with transition to forward flight provided by turboprop engines mounted in swiveling nacelles on the end of the wings . AgustaWestland plans to market the AW609 to VIP customers and the offshore oil and gas industry . Development was slowed after a crash of the second prototype in October 2015 which killed two test pilots . For still unknown reasons , the aircraft broke up in midair during high speed testing . The AW609 is still awaiting certification ,
and AgustaWestland is considering a site in the US for production .
The birth of US astronaut Gordon Cooper . Born in Shawnee , Oklahoma , Leroy Gordon “ Gordo ” Cooper was an engineer , test pilot , US Air Force pilot , and one of the Mercury Seven , the original seven astronauts to take part in Project Mercury , NASA ’ s first manned space program and precursor to the Gemini and Apollo programs . On the final Mercury mission in 1963 , Cooper piloted his Mercury capsule on the longest flight of the Mercury program , and was the first American to sleep in space . He was also the last American astronaut launched into space on a solo orbital mission . Cooper also flew as Command Pilot of Gemini 5 in 1965 , a flight that set the first record for American duration in space . Cooper died on October 4 , 2004 in Ventura , California at age 77 .
The first flight of the Hawker Siddeley Kestrel . The Kestrel was the second experimental aircraft , following the Hawker P . 1127 , that explored vertical / short take-off and landing ( V / STOL ) and led to the development of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier . Development of both the P . 1227 and Kestrel began in 1957 following the introduction of the Rolls- Royce Pegasus vectoredthrust engine . The Kestrel ( FGA . 1 ) was an improved version of the P . 1227 , with fully swept wings , larger tail , and enlarged fuselage to accommodate the larger Pegasus 5 engine . Nine Kestrels were built , and flown by the Tripartite Evaluation Squadron comprised of pilots from England , Germany and the US ( where it was known as the XV-6A ). Ultimately , the Kestrel would become the prototype for pre-production Harriers .
Raymonde de Laroche becomes the world ’ s first woman to earn a pilot license . Born in 1882 , de Laroche decided to become a pilot after seeing Wilbur Wright ’ s flying demonstration in 1908 . The next year , Laroche