XF-104 FG-787 (53-7787) at Palmdale, delivery date October 4, 1954

XF-104, construction number 083-1002, serial number 53-7787, built by Lockheed

The second prototype (53-7787) was lost on April 19, 1955 when test pilot Herman R. "Fish" Salmon was forced to eject during gun-firing trials at 50,000 feet. 
The gun malfunctioned during a test firing, and severe vibrations began to build up which knocked loose the ejection hatch on the belly of the plane. 
Cabin pressure was immediately lost, and Salmon's pressure suit pumped up and covered his face so that he could not see. 
Recalling Tony LeVier's harrowing experience with the exploding cannon shell the previous December, Salmon believed that the same thing had happened to him and that he had no option but to eject. This he did. 
He later found out that he could have saved 53-7787 by simply bringing it down to a lower altitude and waiting for his pressure suit to deflate.

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