Edward L. Swindell

Edward L. Swindell was a U.S. Air Force Lieutenant serving as flight engineer aboard the Northrop YB-49 flying wing during a test flight on June 5, 1948, from Muroc Army Air Field (later Edwards AFB). The experimental all-wing bomber, known for its UFO-like appearance, crashed in the Antelope Valley, killing all five crew members including pilot Major D.N. Forbes, co-pilot Captain Glen W. Edwards, Swindell, and observers C. Leser and C. LaFountain. The crash occurred 20 minutes after a routine check-in, with wreckage showing vertical impact and post-crash fire, destroying evidence. No birth or death years beyond 1948 are known from available records. Swindell had no documented primary role, achievements, publications, or testimony in UAP/UFO research or military/government UFO programs; his involvement was limited to this aviation incident with a aircraft sometimes misidentified in UFO lore.