Regarded as a radical departure from traditional aircraft design, the Cutlass suffered from numerous technical and handling problems
throughout its short service career. The type was responsible for the
deaths of four test pilots and 21 other U.S. Navy pilots.
Over one quarter of all Cutlasses built were destroyed in accidents.
The poor safety record was largely the result of the advanced design
built to apply new aerodynamic theories and insufficiently powerful, unreliable engines. wiki