On 20 March 1945, LeVier took the Gray Ghost up on a duct rumble test flight. He climbed to 15,000 feet and began a steep descent with the intent to level off at 10,000 feet for a maximum speed run. At 11,000 feet the airplane began to shake slightly and then suddenly the nose pitched downward. It swung violently to the left, slamming LeVier against the side of the cockpit. As the XP-80A began to tumble wildly, LeVier realized that the tail had separated from the airplane.

One of the turbine wheels from the jet engine had broken apart, shearing off the empennage. LeVier fought to extricate himself from the tailless XP-80A. Positive and negative acceleration bounced him back and forth in his seat as he struggled to reach the canopy release mechanism. On his first attempt he pulled so hard the handle slipped out of his grasp and dangled loosely on the end of its cable. He reached back with his left hand and seized the cable itself. Hauling it over his left shoulder, he took a firm grip with both hands and pulled with all his might. This time the canopy came off and LeVier was hit by the blast of the slipstream through the open cockpit.

With the ground rushing up LeVier grabbed for his seat harness release, but missed. On his second attempt the five-point buckle opened. The airplane was inverted now and LeVier was catapulted out of the cockpit some 4,000 feet above the ground. Fearing the plane would hit him, LeVier rolled into a ball and closed his eyes. When he opened them, he saw the XP-80A falling even with him at the same rate. He pulled his parachute cord and was glad to see the chute open above him.

LeVier watched as the Gray Ghost impacted and burned just east of Highway 6 near the town of Rosamond. He quickly took stock of his situation and found that he had a bad cut on his chin, apparently from one of the seat buckles. As he neared the ground his parachute started swinging. He got in under control once, but it happened again closer to the ground and LeVier could only hope for the best.

Unfortunately, he swung into the ground, injuring his back. A highway worker had spotted him and came to his aid. Other bystanders soon began to arrive and someone placed LeVier in an Army ambulance and rushed him to the hospital at Muroc.

A few minutes later, Sheriff's deputies Alfred E. Jones and Thomas J. Puckett arrived on the scene. They secured the site until Lt. Col. Roger S. Thompson arrived to take charge of the wreck. The Sheriff's report on the accident was labeled CONFIDENTIAL. It identified the pilot as "UNKNOWN," but listed his employer as Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in Burbank. The aircraft was simply described as "an experimental plane." The report ended with the comment that "as there is no further action to be taken by this office, recommend that this file be suspended."

Army Air Force personnel collected the wreckage of the Gray Ghost. It was loaded onto a flatbed truck and taken to Muroc FTB for study and eventual disposal. Fragments of the shattered turbine wheel were located some distance from the crash site.