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NASA News
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration
Dryden Flight Research Center
P.O. Box 273
Edwards, California 93523
Phone   (661) 276-3449
FAX (661) 276-3566 
                        __
June 27, 2003

Alan Brown
NASA Dryden Flight Research Center
(661) 276-2665
alan.brown{at}dfrc.nasa.gov

Michael Braukus
NASA Headquarters, Washington 
DC                                                                              
(202) 358-1979

RELEASE: 03-35

HELIOS SOLAR AIRCRAFT MISHAP INVESTIGATION BOARD SELECTED

NASA has selected a board to determine the cause the June 26, 2003 
loss of the Helios Prototype solar aircraft.

The board appointed by Dr. Jeremiah Creedon, Associate Administrator 
for Aerospace Technology, consists of members from several NASA 
research centers and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric 
Administration (NOAA) including:

Dr. Thomas E. Noll, chairman, Langley Research Center, Hampton, Va.
Dr. John M. Brown, NOAA's Forecast Systems Laboratory, Boulder, Colo.
Stephen D. Ishmael, Dryden Flight Research Center, Edwards, Calif.
Dr. Marla E. Perez-Davis, Glenn Research Center, Cleveland
Geary C.Tiffany, Ames Research Center, Moffett Field, Calif.

The remotely operated Helios Prototype aircraft was destroyed when it 
crashed into the Pacific Ocean during a checkout flight from the U.S. 
Navy Pacific Missile Range Facility (PMRF) on Kauai, Hawaii.

No property damage, other than the prototype aircraft, or injuries 
occurred as a result of the mishap. The remotely piloted aircraft 
came down in the ocean, within the confines of the PMRF test range, 
west of the facility.

The lightweight flying wing had taken off from PMRF at about 10:06 
a.m. Hawaii time on a functional checkout flight. It had been aloft 
for about 29 minutes over the PMRF test range when the mishap 
occurred. Helios was on a shakedown mission in preparation for a 
long-endurance mission of almost two days that had been planned for 
next month.

The Helios Prototype set a world altitude record for 
non-rocket-powered aircraft of 96,863 feet during a flight from the 
Navy facility at Barking Sands, Kauai, in August 2001.

-NASA -

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