Darrell Cornell

Darrell Cornell was Northrop's chief test pilot in the early 1980s. He was killed on October 10, 1984 at Suwon AB, while performing a demonstration flight for the South Korean Air Force (ROKAF). The F-20, 82-0062, c/n GG1001, N4416T, he was piloting stalled after a series of climbing rolls performed with flaps and gear extended. Cornell was not able to recover the aircraft from the uncontrolled stall. Cornell was also the lead test pilot for Northrop's RF-5E Tigereye, a reconnaissance version of the low cost F-5E fighter aircraft. He was featured in the April 1984 issue of LIFE magazine in an article entitled Edwards Air Force Base Pilots together with Doug Benefieds, Chuck Sewell, Tony LeVier, and Russell O’Quinn. Cornell was also an...