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Fatal Explosion at Mojave Desert Airport Kills 3
July 30, 2007

It was a routine testing procedure for the propellant system of an exciting new space tourism vehicle. But the July 26 scene of events at the remote test site of Scaled Composites LLC at the Mojave Desert Airport near the edge of Kern County resembled anything but a routine procedure. A powerful explosion believed to have been caused by an operating malfunction killed three workers -two of them instantly- and seriously injured three others.

Scaled Composites LLC is spearheaded by the maverick aviation entrepreneur Burt Rutan, and created history in 2004 by launching the first private manned rocket spaceship, the SpaceShip One. Rutan had partnered with British tycoon Richard Branson to build a fleet of commercial space vehicles called SpaceShip 2. The highly secretive project has been underway for a while in a closed-to- the-public hangar.

According to the Los Angeles Times, the explosion occurred during a test of the flow of nitrous oxide through an injector. Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas and widely used in dentist's offices, is not considered to be a particularly hazardous material. Rutan claims that the chemical was at the required temperature and that the testing procedure did not involve any sort of spark or ignition of the rocket motor.

Meanwhile, the dead have been identified as Eric Dean Blackwell, Charles May, and Todd Ivens. The injured are reported to be in a serious condition with severe burn injuries at the Kern County Medical Center in Bakersfield.

Although Rutan remains tightlipped about his project, investigations are underway and questions about wrongful death are likely to be raised in the coming days.

Attorneys at The Reeves Law Group are highly successful in handling wrongful death cases and ensuring that justice is delivered to victims and their families.

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