<P> Although Concorde and the Tu - 144 were the first aircraft to carry commercial passengers at supersonic speeds, they were not the first or only commercial airliners to break the sound barrier . On 21 August 1961, a Douglas DC - 8 broke the sound barrier at Mach 1.012 or 1,240 km / h (776.2 mph) while in a controlled dive through 41,088 feet (12,510 m). The purpose of the flight was to collect data on a new leading - edge design for the wing . A China Airlines 747 may have broken the sound barrier in an unplanned descent from 41,000 ft (12,500 m) to 9,500 ft (2,900 m) after an in - flight upset on 19 February 1985 . It also reached over 5g . </P> <P> On January 12, 1948, a Northrop unmanned rocket sled became the first land vehicle to break the sound barrier . At a military test facility at Muroc Air Force Base (now Edwards AFB), California, it reached a peak speed of 1,019 mph (1,640 km / h) before jumping the rails . </P> <P> On October 15, 1997, in a vehicle designed and built by a team led by Richard Noble, Royal Air Force pilot Andy Green became the first person to break the sound barrier in a land vehicle in compliance with Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile rules . The vehicle, called the ThrustSSC ("Super Sonic Car"), captured the record 50 years and one day after Yeager's first supersonic flight . </P> <P> In October 2012 Felix Baumgartner, with a team of scientists and sponsor Red Bull, attempted the highest sky - dive on record . The project would see Baumgartner attempt to jump 120,000 ft (36,580 m) from a helium balloon and become the first parachutist to break the sound barrier . The launch was scheduled for October 9, 2012, but was aborted due to adverse weather; subsequently the capsule was launched instead on October 14 . Baumgartner's feat also marked the 65th anniversary of U.S. test pilot Chuck Yeager's successful attempt to break the sound barrier in an aircraft . </P>

Who is the person credited with breaking the sound barrier on land