In the pilot of The Six Million Dollar Man (1973), Steve Austin, played by Lee Majors, was testing an M2-F2 lifting body aircraft.
The M2-F2 was a real experimental aircraft developed by NASA during the 1960s as part of research into lifting bodies, which are wingless aircraft designed to generate lift using their fuselage shape. This research contributed to the development of the Space Shuttle.
During the opening sequence, Austin suffers a catastrophic crash while piloting the M2-F2, resulting in severe injuries that lead to him being rebuilt as a bionic man with superhuman abilities.
This dramatic accident is based on an actual crash involving NASA test pilot Bruce Peterson in 1967, who survived the incident with injuries. The footage of the crash shown in the series is real and was taken from Peterson’s accident.