Chuck Yeager, pilot who broke the sound barrier, dies at 97

US Air Force officer and test pilot Chuck Yeager, known as “the fastest man alive,” has died at the age of 97.

His wife Victoria tweeted from Yeager’s verified Twitter account on Monday night that the World War II flying ace died just before 9 p.m. ET.

“An incredible life well lived, America’s greatest pilot,” she tweeted.

Yeager broke the sound barrier when he tested the X-1 in October 1947, although the feat was not announced to the public until 1948.

Born and raised in West Virginia, Yeager joined the Air Force at age 18 in 1941 and was assigned to the Army Air Corps, according to his website.

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