Crash delays WhiteKnightTwo return to flight

by Rob Coppinger | Feb 5, 2009 | Personal spaceflight, Space tourism, Spaceport, Virgin Galactic, White Knight | 4 comments

The return to flight of Virgin Galactic’s SpaceShipTwo mothership WhiteKnightTwo was delayed yesterday when a Douglas DC-3 that belongs to the National Test Pilot School went off the runway on take-off and crashed. Fortunately no one, as far as we know, was badly hurt

WhiteKnightTwo (WK2) had been taxiied out and its chase plane was to be a Beech Starship while the emergency vehicles were also being readied, and fortunately then were out and ready for the DC-3 crash when it happened

After the crash occured WK2 taxiied back to the hangar. Scaled does not comment on its test programmes and strangely there was no NOTAM posted by Mojave airport but I understand that these can be requested of the Federal Aviation Administration and approved within minutes if need be

The WK2’s first and last flight was on 21 December 2008, seven weeks ago

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