First Flight Went Wrong

David Robert Thompson, 38, who was working as an engineer on Burt Rutan's X-Prize rocket motor, was also building his own Q2 at home.

The Q2, a beefed-up, (generally) VW-powered 2-seat version of the early-80s composite solo Quickie design, had been one object of his devotion in those minutes when he could juggle life among job, family, and hobby.

The first flight, out of Tehachapi (CA) Mountain Valley Airport, north of LA, was to have been a celebration. Instead, his wife and two children, there to cheer and to videotape the moment, were witnesses to tragedy.

The machine got airborne; then it "...fell back onto the runway and burst into flames," according to an AP report.

Rutan said that Thompson hadn't told many at work about the project.

**   Report created 7/22/2003   Record 5  **
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