Author name: CCAR Staff

A three-car crash has backed up the bypass lane on the southbound 15 Freeway in the Cajon Pass prompting a SigAlert, officials said.

According to reports the crash happened around 11:30 a.m. just south of Highway 138.

It’s unclear when California Highway Patrol will lift the SigAlert or if any injuries resulted from the crash.

A three-car crash has backed up the bypass lane on the southbound 15 Freeway in the Cajon Pass prompting a SigAlert, officials said.

According to reports the crash happened around 11:30 a.m. just south of Highway 138.

It’s unclear when California Highway Patrol will lift the SigAlert or if any injuries resulted from the crash.

BEAUMONT – An adult and a child in a Toyota Corolla were killed in a three-vehicle collision in Beaumont and two other children in the car were injured, police said today.

The children were hospitalized in serious-to-critical condition, Beaumont Police Department Cmdr. Greg Fagan.

The driver of a Ford pickup truck that was also involved in the collision was also hospitalized, but his condition was not known, Fagan said.

The collision occurred at 2:09 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Beaumont Avenue and First Street, Fagan said.

The Toyota Corolla was struck by the Ford pickup truck and then collided with a Dodge pickup, Fagan said.

The cause of the accident was under investigation, Fagan said.

BEAUMONT – An adult and a child in a Toyota Corolla were killed in a three-vehicle collision in Beaumont and two other children in the car were injured, police said today.

The children were hospitalized in serious-to-critical condition, Beaumont Police Department Cmdr. Greg Fagan.

The driver of a Ford pickup truck that was also involved in the collision was also hospitalized, but his condition was not known, Fagan said.

The collision occurred at 2:09 p.m. Wednesday at the intersection of Beaumont Avenue and First Street, Fagan said.

The Toyota Corolla was struck by the Ford pickup truck and then collided with a Dodge pickup, Fagan said.

The cause of the accident was under investigation, Fagan said.

WASHINGTON >> The National Transportation Safety Board concluded Tuesday that the developer of a commercial spacecraft that broke apart over the Mojave Desert last year failed to protect against the possibility of human error, specifically the co-pilot’s premature unlocking of a braking system that triggered the in-flight breakup of the vehicle.

In its finding, the board took pains to make clear that Scaled Composites, an aerospace company that has partnered with Virgin Galactic to develop the spacecraft, should have had systems in place to overcome the co-pilot’s mistake.

The Federal Aviation Administration was also faulted in its role of determining whether Scaled Composites should get permits for flight tests, and the board recommended several steps to improve the FAA’s oversight of private companies involved in commercial space transportation.

The recommendations included assigning FAA staff to individual operators instead of individual flights. That way, they have more time to become familiar with the training and operational controls that they’re charged with inspecting. An FAA spokesman said the agency takes the findings and recommendations seriously and will respond in more detail within 90 days.

NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart said he didn’t believe Scaled Composites took shortcuts that compromised the spacecraft’s safety. Rather, he said, it simply didn’t consider that the crew would make the mistake that occurred.

“The assumption was these highly trained test pilots would not make mistakes in those areas, but truth be told, humans are humans,” Hart said after the hearing’s conclusion. “And even the best-trained human on their best day can make mistakes.”

The accident occurred during SpaceShipTwo’s fourth rocket-powered test flight. At the time of the accident, Scaled Composites was responsible for SpaceShipTwo’s flight test program under a contract with Virgin Galactic.

At the onset of the hearing, investigators told the board that the co-pilot, Michael Alsbury, prematurely unlocked the braking system and the resulting forces caused the brakes to actually be applied even without a command from the crew. The unique braking system includes twin tails that extend on booms from each wing. When activated they rotate upward to create drag, slowing and stabilizing the spaceship for re-entry into the thin upper atmosphere. They are called “feathers” because they function like feathers on a badminton shuttlecock.

The premature applying of the braking system at that speed and elevation created stress that caused the ship to break-up, though Hart said that protections have been put in place since.

“We are confident that the steps they have taken would prevent this accident from happening,” Hart said.

The spaceship broke apart over the Mojave Desert during a test flight 10 months ago. The accident killed Alsbury and seriously injured the pilot, Peter Siebold.

In determining the probable cause of the accident, board members were focused on how well officials prepared for the worst. NTSB member Robert Sumwalt said Scaled Composites “put all their eggs in the basket of the pilots doing it correctly.”

“My point is that a single-point human failure has to be anticipated,” Sumwalt said. “The system has to be designed to compensate for the error.”

In a statement after the hearing, Scaled Composites said safety has always been a critical part of the company’s culture.

“We have already made changes in the wake of the accident to further enhance safety. We will continue to look for additional ways to do so. We extensively supported the NTSB’s investigation and appreciate all of its work to make the industry safer,” the company’s statement read.

Hart said he hoped the investigation will prevent such an accident from happening again. He said the NTSB learned “with a high degree of certainty the events that resulted in the breakup.”

“Many of the safety issues that we will hear about today arose not from the novelty of a space launch test flight, but from human factors that were already known elsewhere in transportation,” Hart said.

Virgin Galactic has been proceeding with its plans for space flight and is now building another craft. Company officials have said in recent months that their commitment to commercial spacecraft has not wavered despite the crash and they expect the company to resume test flights later this year. Eventually, the company envisions flights with six passengers climbing more than 62 miles above Earth.

In a statement issued after the hearing, Virgin Galactic said it has assumed full responsibility for the completion of the flight test program. It emphasized the Scaled Composites was responsible for SpaceShipTwo’s flight-test program.

“We remain as humbled as ever by the difficulty of our work and the challenges of space,” said Virgin Galactic CEO George T. Whitesides. “To date, only 549 people have gone to space, and we are as passionate and resolved as ever to increase that number.”

“It is important that our collective efforts and sacrifices are not in vain but serve to inspire others to make big dreams come true,” said Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Group’s founder.

WASHINGTON >> The National Transportation Safety Board concluded Tuesday that the developer of a commercial spacecraft that broke apart over the Mojave Desert last year failed to protect against the possibility of human error, specifically the co-pilot’s premature unlocking of a braking system that triggered the in-flight breakup of the vehicle.

In its finding, the board took pains to make clear that Scaled Composites, an aerospace company that has partnered with Virgin Galactic to develop the spacecraft, should have had systems in place to overcome the co-pilot’s mistake.

The Federal Aviation Administration was also faulted in its role of determining whether Scaled Composites should get permits for flight tests, and the board recommended several steps to improve the FAA’s oversight of private companies involved in commercial space transportation.

The recommendations included assigning FAA staff to individual operators instead of individual flights. That way, they have more time to become familiar with the training and operational controls that they’re charged with inspecting. An FAA spokesman said the agency takes the findings and recommendations seriously and will respond in more detail within 90 days.

NTSB Chairman Christopher Hart said he didn’t believe Scaled Composites took shortcuts that compromised the spacecraft’s safety. Rather, he said, it simply didn’t consider that the crew would make the mistake that occurred.

“The assumption was these highly trained test pilots would not make mistakes in those areas, but truth be told, humans are humans,” Hart said after the hearing’s conclusion. “And even the best-trained human on their best day can make mistakes.”

The accident occurred during SpaceShipTwo’s fourth rocket-powered test flight. At the time of the accident, Scaled Composites was responsible for SpaceShipTwo’s flight test program under a contract with Virgin Galactic.

At the onset of the hearing, investigators told the board that the co-pilot, Michael Alsbury, prematurely unlocked the braking system and the resulting forces caused the brakes to actually be applied even without a command from the crew. The unique braking system includes twin tails that extend on booms from each wing. When activated they rotate upward to create drag, slowing and stabilizing the spaceship for re-entry into the thin upper atmosphere. They are called “feathers” because they function like feathers on a badminton shuttlecock.

The premature applying of the braking system at that speed and elevation created stress that caused the ship to break-up, though Hart said that protections have been put in place since.

“We are confident that the steps they have taken would prevent this accident from happening,” Hart said.

The spaceship broke apart over the Mojave Desert during a test flight 10 months ago. The accident killed Alsbury and seriously injured the pilot, Peter Siebold.

In determining the probable cause of the accident, board members were focused on how well officials prepared for the worst. NTSB member Robert Sumwalt said Scaled Composites “put all their eggs in the basket of the pilots doing it correctly.”

“My point is that a single-point human failure has to be anticipated,” Sumwalt said. “The system has to be designed to compensate for the error.”

In a statement after the hearing, Scaled Composites said safety has always been a critical part of the company’s culture.

“We have already made changes in the wake of the accident to further enhance safety. We will continue to look for additional ways to do so. We extensively supported the NTSB’s investigation and appreciate all of its work to make the industry safer,” the company’s statement read.

Hart said he hoped the investigation will prevent such an accident from happening again. He said the NTSB learned “with a high degree of certainty the events that resulted in the breakup.”

“Many of the safety issues that we will hear about today arose not from the novelty of a space launch test flight, but from human factors that were already known elsewhere in transportation,” Hart said.

Virgin Galactic has been proceeding with its plans for space flight and is now building another craft. Company officials have said in recent months that their commitment to commercial spacecraft has not wavered despite the crash and they expect the company to resume test flights later this year. Eventually, the company envisions flights with six passengers climbing more than 62 miles above Earth.

In a statement issued after the hearing, Virgin Galactic said it has assumed full responsibility for the completion of the flight test program. It emphasized the Scaled Composites was responsible for SpaceShipTwo’s flight-test program.

“We remain as humbled as ever by the difficulty of our work and the challenges of space,” said Virgin Galactic CEO George T. Whitesides. “To date, only 549 people have gone to space, and we are as passionate and resolved as ever to increase that number.”

“It is important that our collective efforts and sacrifices are not in vain but serve to inspire others to make big dreams come true,” said Sir Richard Branson, Virgin Group’s founder.

MECCA – A person was killed and two others injured in a single- vehicle crash in the Salton Sea community of North Shore tonight.

The collision was reported at 7:06 p.m. near the intersection of Highway 111 and Vander Veer Road, April Newman of the Riverside County Fire Department said.

One of the two injured was a juvenile, Newman said. Both were hospitalized with minor injuries.

The victim died at the scene and two other juvenile occupants of the vehicle were unharmed, Newman said.

MECCA – A person was killed and two others injured in a single- vehicle crash in the Salton Sea community of North Shore tonight.

The collision was reported at 7:06 p.m. near the intersection of Highway 111 and Vander Veer Road, April Newman of the Riverside County Fire Department said.

One of the two injured was a juvenile, Newman said. Both were hospitalized with minor injuries.

The victim died at the scene and two other juvenile occupants of the vehicle were unharmed, Newman said.

RIVERSIDE – Authorities were searching for clues today into what caused a small plane to crash into a Riverside neighborhood, killing the pilot, but injuring no one on the ground.

The plane went down and caught fire just after 5 p.m. Sunday in the yard of a home near the intersection of Adams Street and Arlington Avenue, about one-half mile east of Riverside Municipal Airport, said Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration.

The pilot was the only person in the single-engine Beechcraft BE35and he reported a loss of power before the plane crashed, Gregor said.

He suffered fatal injuries and was pronounced dead at the scene, Riverside Fire Department Capt. Tim Odebralski said. His body remained inside the wreckage after dark and his identity had not been released.

The plane’s flight had not originated at Riverside Municipal Airport, Odebralski said.

The plane took out power lines, knocking out electricity to hundreds in the residential neighborhood, but by 8 p.m. most had their service restored by Riverside Public Utilities crews that quickly responded to the scene, Odebralski said.

It was not immediately clear where the pilot was headed when the crash happened, the captain said.

The pilot radioed that he didn’t think he was going to make it to the airport and may have tried to put the plane down on Adams Street, which is four- lanes wide and might have appeared from the air as a suitable place for an emergency landing, Odebralski said.