SSRT: Clipper Graham Incident Investigation Board Convenes

[chrisj@mail.utexas.edu (Chris W. Johnson) (by way of "L. Parker" <lparker@smtp.gnt.net>)]

----

From: baalke@kelvin.jpl.nasa.gov (Ron Baalke)
Newsgroups: sci.space.news
Subject: Clipper Graham Incident Investigation Board Convenes
Followup-To: sci.space.policy
Date: 5 Aug 1996 13:42:01 -0700
Organization: Jet Propulsion Laboratory
Lines: 36

Jim Cast
Headquarters, Washington, DC                August 5, 1996
(Phone:  202/358-1779)

Dom Amatore
Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, AL
(Phone:  205/544-0031)

RELEASE:  96-158

CLIPPER GRAHAM INCIDENT INVESTIGATION BOARD CONVENES

     A five-member board, chaired by former astronaut Vance
Brand, is convening this week at the White Sands Missile
Range, NM, to investigate last week's post-landing incident
involving the Clipper Graham (DC-XA) rocket.

     Brand presently is Assistant Chief of Flight Operations
Directorate and Chief of Shuttle and Flight Support Office at
NASA's Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, CA. Other
members of the board are: George Hopson, Marshall Space
Flight Center, Huntsville,  AL;  Charles E. Harris, Langley
Research Center, Hampton, VA; Lt. Col. David Sharp, USAF
Safety Center, NM;  and Warren Wiley, Kennedy Space Center, FL.

    Progess of the board's investigation will be released as
events warrant.  The board anticipates submitting a final
report in approximately two months.

     On July 31, Clipper Graham successfully flew a two- minute,
20-second flight profile -- the fourth in the current series --
but tipped over and caught fire when one of four landing gears
failed to deploy.

                         - end -