homebuit fatality- tehachipi-ac type?

Richard Riley wrote in message
...
There's a "Quickie QZ" registered to a David Robert Thompson in
Tehachipi. Can't say for sure it's the same man, but odds are good.


On Tue, 22 Jul 2003 06:41:55 -0700, "patrick mitchel"
wrote:

:Anyone know the details of the homebuilt crash at mountain valley airport
:sunday . La times stated that the pilot was David Robert Thompson - a
worker
:for Rutan. Repects....Pat
:

According to the brief article in the times, it stated that he'd just
finished the plane and was on the 1st flight- lifted off and then fell back
to the runway in front of his wife and children (2) Regards Pat

Pilot killed when experimental plane crashes

By STEVEN MAYER, Californian staff writer
e-mail:

Sunday July 20, 2003, 11:04:23 PM


TEHACHAPI -- A Tehachapi man was killed Sunday morning when an
experimental airplane he spent years building crashed on its maiden
flight.

As his wife and children watched, horrified, from the ground, 38-year-
old David Robert Thompson took off in the single-engine plane at just
before 10 a.m. from Mountain Valley Airport, south of Tehachapi. As
he gained altitude, the aircraft wavered, then crashed and burned
alongside one of the airpark's runways. Thompson was alone in the
plane.

"He was taking off, got into the air, then appeared to be having
control problems," said longtime pilot Dick Reichel, who witnessed
the crash.

"We went out to watch him take off. It was a mistake," Reichel
said. "Something like this leaves a rather indelible impression on
your brain. It's not something you want to watch."

The tiny airport's runways, often used by glider pilots, were shut
down for several hours as Kern County firefighters, sheriff's
deputies and an investigator from the coroner's office examined the
scene. The plane was reduced to a misshapen mass of blackened
material by the fire.

Aviation enthusiasts and airport workers said Thompson had been
building the plane for several years in a hangar at the airport. Many
said they only knew him by sight.

No one expected his labor of love to end in tragedy.

Airport co-owner Jane Barrett wiped away tears as she waited for
emergency personnel to complete the difficult work ahead of them.
Barrett and others expressed reluctance to speak about Thompson or
his family.

Diners in the airport cafe said Thompson was employed by Scaled
Composites Inc. in Mojave, an aviation-based company founded by Burt
Rutan, the designer of Voyager, the first and only aircraft to
complete a nonstop, nonrefueled flight around the globe.

There was no one at the company offices Sunday.

Everyone at the airport appeared unanimous in their regret that
Thompson's wife and children had to witness the crash and ensuing
fire.

"This is very tragic," Reichel said, shaking his head. "This guy
spends years building his airplane -- and crashes it on the first
flight."

============
According to the avweb database there is a Quickie QZ registered to a
David R. Thompson in Tehachapi.

IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: UNK Make/Model: EXP Description: EXP-
Date: 07/20/2003 Time: 1700

Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N Missing: N
Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
City: TEHACHAPI State: CA Country: US

DESCRIPTION
UNKNOWN REGISTRED EXPERIMENTAL ACFT, REPORTEDLY ON A TEST FLIGHT, ON
TAKEOFF CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, ONE PERSON ON BOARD WAS
FATALLY INJURED, ACFT WAS DESTROYED, MT. VALLEY AIRPORT, TAHACHAPI, CA

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 1
# Crew: 1 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0 Unk:

WEATHER: METAR WJF 201656 26010KT 10SM CLR 32/11 A3007

OTHER DATA
Activity: Pleasure Phase: Take-off Operation: General Aviation

Departed: TEHACHAPI, CA Dep Date: Dep. Time:
Destination: TEHACHAPI, CA Flt Plan: UNK Wx Briefing:
U
Last Radio Cont: UNK
Last Clearance: UNK

FAA FSDO: VAN NUYS, CA (WP01) Entry date: 07/21/2003


"Fitzair4" wrote in message
...


Pilot killed when experimental plane crashes

By STEVEN MAYER, Californian staff writer
e-mail:

Sunday July 20, 2003, 11:04:23 PM


TEHACHAPI -- A Tehachapi man was killed Sunday morning when an
experimental airplane he spent years building crashed on its maiden
flight.

As his wife and children watched, horrified, from the ground, 38-year-
old David Robert Thompson took off in the single-engine plane at just
before 10 a.m. from Mountain Valley Airport, south of Tehachapi. As
he gained altitude, the aircraft wavered, then crashed and burned
alongside one of the airpark's runways. Thompson was alone in the
plane.

"He was taking off, got into the air, then appeared to be having
control problems," said longtime pilot Dick Reichel, who witnessed
the crash.

"We went out to watch him take off. It was a mistake," Reichel
said. "Something like this leaves a rather indelible impression on
your brain. It's not something you want to watch."

The tiny airport's runways, often used by glider pilots, were shut
down for several hours as Kern County firefighters, sheriff's
deputies and an investigator from the coroner's office examined the
scene. The plane was reduced to a misshapen mass of blackened
material by the fire.

Aviation enthusiasts and airport workers said Thompson had been
building the plane for several years in a hangar at the airport. Many
said they only knew him by sight.

No one expected his labor of love to end in tragedy.

Airport co-owner Jane Barrett wiped away tears as she waited for
emergency personnel to complete the difficult work ahead of them.
Barrett and others expressed reluctance to speak about Thompson or
his family.

Diners in the airport cafe said Thompson was employed by Scaled
Composites Inc. in Mojave, an aviation-based company founded by Burt
Rutan, the designer of Voyager, the first and only aircraft to
complete a nonstop, nonrefueled flight around the globe.

There was no one at the company offices Sunday.

Everyone at the airport appeared unanimous in their regret that
Thompson's wife and children had to witness the crash and ensuing
fire.

"This is very tragic," Reichel said, shaking his head. "This guy
spends years building his airplane -- and crashes it on the first
flight."

============
According to the avweb database there is a Quickie QZ registered to a
David R. Thompson in Tehachapi.

Thery is now a blurb on the scaled home page.
www.scaled.com