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| Based on the design of the XFT, the Model 3A was developed
as a contender in the US Army's Materiel Division
competition for a successor to the P-26 in service
with the USAAC. A low-wing all-metal semi-monocoque
monoplane with fully-retractable main undercarriage
members and an enclosed cockpit, the Model 3A
was powered by a Pratt & Whitney SR-1535-6 Twin
Wasp Junior 14-cylinder radial engine rated at 700hp for take-off. It had provision for one 7.62mm
and one 12.7mm gun in the fuselage. Completed
in July 1935, it was briefly tested at Wright Field
where it was found to be somewhat unstable and prone
to spinning. Returned to the manufacturer for modification,
the Model 3A was under test over the Pacific on 30
July, but failed to return, no trace of the aircraft nor its
pilot ever being found. The design of the Model 3A was
subsequently sold to Chance Vought Aircraft which
further developed it as the V-141.
 | A three-view drawing (1276 x 816) |
| MODEL | 3A (estimated data) |
| WEIGHTS |
| Take-off weight | 1769 kg | 3900 lb |
| DIMENSIONS |
| Wingspan | 10.21 m | 34 ft 6 in |
| Length | 6.78 m | 22 ft 3 in |
| Height | 2.77 m | 9 ft 1 in |
| Wing area | 17.37 m2 | 186.97 sq ft |
| PERFORMANCE |
| Max. speed | 434 km/h | 270 mph |
| Graham Clayton, e-mail, 13.02.2021 01:03 1st Lieutenant Arthur Henry Skaer, Jr., Air Corps Reserve, who was employed by Northrop as a test pilot, took off from Mines Field to conduct spin tests.
Skaer never returned. An extensive search was conducted of the nearby Palos Verdes Peninsula and the southern California coastal waters. An Air Corps search plane spotted what appeared to be fresh oil on the surface, but no other sign of Lieutenant Skaer or the Northrop 3A were ever found. reply | | Steve B., e-mail, 19.08.2016 05:50 I've researched this a /c for years, never any mention of spin being involved. N3A was lost at sea drink flight test of max. Speed. reply | | BHH, 19.10.2015 08:53 The same fate that happened to JFK jr. happened to the N3A that day over the pacific. The only thing is the N3A was never found, that's all. In this case, a spin the pilot just couldn't get out of. :( reply |
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