FYI, I get arocket in digest form so I apologize if this has already been
posted here.
Ted Cochran, NAR President, has been working with local authorities to find
more details and posted the following update:
National Association of Rocketry
21 November 2015
Greetings,
As I reported on the NAR Facebook page last Sunday, I regret to have to inform
you that a fatal on-field rocketry accident occurred in California last
Saturday. I want to bring you up to speed on the status of our investigation.
When I made the first announcement, there were few details available. We have
since been working to understand what happened, so that we may all learn from
it and prevent it from happening again. Our Association has no standing in the
matter except as concerned and experienced enthusiasts, but I've been in
contact with law enforcement and witnesses and have a preliminary set of facts
to share.
First, to the best of our knowledge, no NAR or TRA members were involved in
this incident, certainly not directly involved. No kids were involved, except,
unfortunately, as witnesses.
The deceased, Mike Bentley, a very experienced adult Scout leader, was at an
annual BSA Council-sponsored rocketry and camping event for multiple scout
troops called Rocket Rave, which has been conducted for at least several years.
During the weekend, scouts complete tasks required for their Space Exploration
merit badge, which requires two model rocket launches. During the launches, it
has also been common for adults to launch their own, larger rockets.
Around noon on Saturday, Mike engaged in a drag race with a second adult.
Winds were likely within limits, safe distances were at least close to being
met, and both rockets probably met the weight and power limits defined by the
NAR Model Rocket Safety Code. The drag race was conducted from a dedicated
area, to one side of the primary launch pads for the scouts to use to fly their
conventional A through C powered model rockets, and about two dozen people were
in the immediate vicinity.
Mike's rocket was powered by a small APCP motor; the other rocket was powered
by at least one, and possibly more, black powder motors. Both rockets launched;
while Mike was watching his rocket, the other rocket arced over and came down
ballistically, striking him in the face and causing severe injuries. Despite
the best efforts of scouts, law enforcement, and medical professionals both at
the scene and afterwards, his injuries were ultimately fatal.
We know that the rocket that struck Mike was about four feet long and four
inches in diameter. It had a cardboard body tube and a plastic nose cone. We
don't know much else for sure. It is possible that the rocket was designed to
fly on a cluster of motors, but at least one picture of the flight does not
clearly show more than one motor firing. No parachute was deployed; none was
seen at the accident site. At least one report indicates the rocket was damaged
prior to flight. We don't know what motor(s) were used and whether they all
ignited and functioned as designed. We don't know if applicable local laws were
fully observed.
I do know that the investigating law enforcement authority is not pursuing a
criminal investigation at this time. The lack of an investigation will likely
leave questions unanswered for some time. We don't know if the rocket would
have been allowed to fly at a NAR launch; we can't definitively say whether the
NAR safety code was observed or not. We will continue to gather information to
the best of our ability, and we'll pass on significant new findings to you.
Where does this leave us? We know that rocketry remains orders of magnitude
more safe than any other outdoor activity we can name, provided the safety
codes are followed. But it is not without risks; the safety code is our primary
means of mitigating those risks.
Everything in the safety codes is there for a reason, and I urge you to
continue to observe-and when prudent, exceed-their recommendations every time
you fly.
Do preflight inspections of every rocket. Be especially careful with complex
rockets. Pay special attention to the recovery system.
Tilt your launch guides away from the crowds: Plan to have good flights, but
also plan for bad flights to end in safe places.
Add to the safe distance standards when lots of observers are present.
Make sure launch controllers and ignition methods are appropriate for the
motor(s) being used.
Have a spotter for every rocket in a drag race, near enough to the RSO to be
able to get a warning out if necessary.
Have people point at malfunctioning rockets if they see them.
Make sure the crowd can hear the RSO.
Confirm the stability of untested designs.
If rockets are flying over spectators, stop and fix the problem.
Offer to help people and groups who are just starting down the path that we
have trod. Set a safe, positive, and helpful example.
Please consider contributing to Mike's memorial fund through his gofundme site.
I'll continue to keep you informed, so that we can learn what we can from this
unfortunate accident, and be safer because of it.
Sincerely,
Ted Cochran
President, National Association of Rocketry
More to come on this tragic event, but we need to remind ourselves that it is
"safety first" when we fly to prevent something like this from happening.
https://www.gofundme.com/mikebentley
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Date: Tue, 17 Nov 2015 18:17:58 -0600
Subject: [AR] Boy Scout leader killed by model rocket
From: Thom Vincent <sworkeld@xxxxxxxxx>
Does anyone know about this? The news articles are not very informative.
http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-man-killed-homemade-rocket-20151116-story.html
I'm trying to figure out how a model rocket can kill somebody by simply
flying in to their face. I'm sure an HPR could kill someone, but I am
assuming the Boy Scouts would only be launching Estes type rockets made of
cardboard and balsa wood. I can see maybe loosing an eye or getting burns,
but not seeing an Estes rocket as life threatening.
Any info on this? Any ideas?
Thom
