AOS RBS
PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED
May 1, 1958
Mr. O. E. Harvey
Cooper Development Corporation
2626 South Peck Road
Monrovia, California
|
BEST COPY AVAILABLE
Dear Mr. darvey:
SUBJECT:
Subcontract 108
Confirming our April 30 conversation, the following is a copy of a teletype which was
received from our Dr. E. Fleming reporting the details of an accident which occurred
to your employee
.
~
.
STN
ute
Sig
IBY NOW YOU MAY HVE WEARD THAT__. WAS TNVOLVED IN AN ACCIDENT. I AN SEND——_J
ING THIS TWX TO EXPLAIN WHAT REALLY HAPPENED AND TX CORRECT ANY POSSIBLE
ATT
oC
WHICH MAY HAVE OCCURRED. AT ONE SIX ONE ZERO ON TWO THREE APRIL
"wor V7 DISTORTION
AND
SEVERAL
OTHERS WERE AT STATION TWO ONE THREE ONE POINT ZERO FOUR ON
cr
[YVONNE
AND
I
WAS
AT THE CONTROL POINT ON ELMER. WE WERE TESTING OUT THE
BWM|
SIGNAL
AND
FIRING
CIRCUITS WITH THE ARMING PANEL WIRED IN. TO SIMULATE THE
N00
IGNITERS WE HAD INSERTED S@UIBS IN THE FIRING LINES. EACH PAIR OF WHICH HUNG
_LOV i
FREE FROM THE FIRING TERMINAL BOX ON THE AFT BEND OF EACH LAUNCHER. WE
Bd I
STARTED BY SHORTING OUT THE BLUE BOXES. EACH LAUNCHER ELEVATED AND FRECESSED
- NOG
PROPERLY AND THE SGUIBS IN, THR HOLD DASH DOWN BRACKETS DETONATED, THEN
‘RLH {
TALKING TO ME BY TELEPHONE SHOUTED A FIVE SECOND COUNTDOWN WHICH fREPEATED”
rElO
|
4:
TO
SOLTIS AT THE FIRING PANEL. SOLTIS PULLED THE FIRING TOGGLE AT ZERO TIME.
| MHA |
THE
FIRING SIGNAL TO THE FIRST LAUNCHER ARRIVED PROPERLY AT HOTEL PLUS 3X
MLM |
SECONDS AND THE FIRST SQUIB DETONATED. THE SECOND SQUIB DETONATED PROPERLY
FOUR SECONDS LATER. A SECOND LATER
YELLED QUOTE I'M HIT UNQUOTE. COX
PICKED UP THE PHONE AND EXPLAINED THATA SQUIB RRAGMENT HAD COUGHT
ON
THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE NECK NEAR THE SHOULDER APPARENTLY SEVERING AN ARTERY.
TEX ATTEMPTED TO STEM THE FLOW BY DIRECT PRESSURE AND WAS REASONABLY SUCCESS®
FUL. HE WAS TAKEN BY TRUOK 70 THR AID STATION A MILE SOUTH OF THE LAUNCH . ©
SITE ON YVONNE. I IMMEDIATELY PASSED THE WORD ON ELMER AND A DOCTOR ARRIVED
AT
SIDE VIA LIMA DASH TWO ZERO ( L-20 Air Craft)# ABOUT TWO ZERO
MINUTES LATER. |WAS RETURNED TO ELMER BY HELICOPTER ABOUT ONE SEVEN ONE
FIVE AND TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL, AW. EXTRA DASHRAY ( X-Ray)* SHOWED TWO
SMALL FRAGMENTS LODGED IN HIS SHOULDER AND THE DOCTOR DECIDED TO LEAVE THEM
THERE. HE HAS BEEN RESTING COMFORTABLY SINCE THEN AND IS BACK A? WORK TODAY
TWO.SIX APRIL. NO PERSOM AT ANY TIME DURING THIS DRY RUN WAS STANDING CLOSER
THAN FIFTY FEET TO EITHER LAUNCHERSANDALEWERE PARTIALLY SHIELDED. THEY ALL
WERE STANDING CROSS DASH WIND TO THE LAUNEHERS. IT CAN BE ARGUED THAT "COM.
PLETE’SAFETY WAS NOT EXERCISED, AT THE SAME TIME I CALCULATE THAT THE BROBABILITY OF ANYON@ BEING HIT WAS: ABOUT ONE IN ONE THOUSAND, AT ANY RATE
ROCKET PERSONNEL HAVE BECOME EXTREMELY SAFTY CONSCIOUS AND I CAN ASSURE YOU
NO SIMILAR ACCIDENT WILL EVER HAPPEN AGAIN TO ANYONE IN THE FIELD CREW.
~
A
oo,
EOL
(ehdded to clarify message)
PRIVACY ACT MATERIAL REMOVED
on
.
s