Rocket malfunctions, crashes near Goldfield

Saturday, Oct. 4, 1997 | 10:29 a.m.

The rocket being launched from the Nevada Test Site malfunctioned and crashed into Bureau of Land Management land about 12:30 a.m. near Goldfield, 180 miles northwest of Las Vegas. No buildings were in the area and no injuries were reported, said Derek Scammell, DOE spokesman.

Scammell said search efforts for debris began after sunrise Saturday and parts of the rocket had been recovered. The DOE and Sandia National Laboratories, which planned the launch, were investigating the cause of the crash.

"They're mystified by it. They are presently picking up the pieces," he said.

The test flight of the rocket was originally scheduled for last weekend, but was canceled because of Hurricane Nora. Sandia then rescheduled the launch for Saturday.

The project was designed to show that rockets can be safely launched from the test site to the Tonopah Test Range, 70 miles north.

The flight was intended to last 12 minutes and the rocket was to land on a concrete pad on a dry lake bed on the Tonopah range.

The test was also designed to provide the Navy Strategic Systems Program with detailed information related to fuse performance. Such data is used to gauge the reliability and safety of the nation's nuclear stockpile.