The Central Intelligence Agency and Overhead Reconnaissance; The U-2 and OXCART Programs, 1954-1974

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Chapter 5
218
A lthough the plane was equipped with a camera. it carried no film
Lhasa, Tibet, November 1959
and did not have a full load of fuel, which made it considerably
lighter than an operational U-2C. As a result, the plane reached
76.400 feet-the highest altitude achieved by any of the original U-2
aircraft. In the process. however, the aircraft consumed more fuel
than was called for in the test flight plan, causing the engine to flame
out during the return to base. The pilot then made an emergency
wheels-up landing at a glider-club strip near Fujisawa. south of
Atsugi.
The crash did not cause any injuries or serious damage 10 the air­
craft, but it did bring unwanted publicity to the U-2 program. Much of
the publicity resulted from the actions of Detachment C's security
unit. whose conspicuous Hawaian shirts and large pistols drew the