From The WIX Archives... XAT-10A Wichita

[Scott Rose]

Beechcraft XAT-10A Wichita

[Randy Wilson]

https://1000aircraftphotos.com/Contributions/FisherJack/9799.htm

Looks like this was a sole V-tailed prototype late in the war.

Randy

[k5083]

Makes you wonder if it played a role in Bonanza development.

August

[JohnB]

Makes you wonder if it played a role in Bonanza development.

Yes.
If you look at the various histories of the Bonanza, it is stated that the V-tail data from the experimental AT-10 was used was part of Bonanza development.

The late Larry Ball, in his definitive Bonanza history Those Incomparable Bonanzas, states the V-tail was done on the Wichita as "...part of a design study for a high-speed airplane".
I wonder if it was purely a Beech effort or a possible NACA sponsored program.

At any rate, that late in the war and with no post-war use for the type, I can't believe it was done as a prototype for future models of the AT-10.
If it was done for Beech's future use, it was likely eyed for a post war replacement for the model 18, which eventually turned out the be the Beech model 90 King Air, a turbine development of the model 65 Queen Air (L-23F/U-8F) which was basically a large fuselage version of the Twin Bonanza (Beech model 50 & Army L-23/U-8).

This excellent brief history by Peter Garrison of the Bonanza from FLYING magazine (Aug 1969) states that at the time of the Bonanza's introduction, Beech was saying all their future models would have V-tails.

https://books.google.com/books?id=J9Yfi ... ry&f=false

Whatever the motive behind the mod, it seems likely Beech had a spare AT-10 sitting around to serve as a test bed.