Fatal explosion with possible rocketry connection?

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BATF was once asked about potato launchers...their reply was that they hadn't looked into them, and that as long as they were used to launch spuds as an entertainment device, they were not going to look further...basically what they said was; really don't make us look into the matter, please. that was before we started experimenting w/ them...the spudders of today really, really don't want the ATF taking a closer look.
Rex
 
My old neighbor fills balloons with acetylene from his torch set. Ties fizzel cord for about a 10 second delay.
Lights the cord and releases the balloon. You can hear the bang a mile away.
Explosive device? YES! Dangerous? YES! Illegal? I don't know...
Does he intend to hurt anyone? NO! It's a typical thing around the Forth of July he does.
 
No offense to your neighbor, some rocketeers, or other eccentrics who want to indulge their juvenile impulses. But in this Post 9/11 world, we all have to live with some restrictions on our activities. Personally, I would advocate for both NAR and Tripoli limiting their sanctioned launches to the use of only commercially manufactured motors. And the hobby should actively embrace (perhaps with funding from NAR) alternative recovery methods that move away from the use of black powder dual-deploy canisters and towards solutions such as those proposed by Jolly Logic's John Beans and others.

Otherwise, we run the risk of knee jerk regulation each time that someone misuses the ingredients of our hobby. It's too early to speculate on the guilt or innocence of Stephen Beal, but he certainly looks to be involved. He's a high power rocketeer (even if inactive currently) and the hobby is linked to this individual.

Since returning as a BAR, I've been troubled by the number of "cowboy" types inside the hobby--who treat safety as some sort of afterthought. We have to self-police, and lead by strong example. RSO's should not tolerate this type of behavior. Move to eliminate so-called "heads up" flights. If you're not sure a rocket isn't safe--then don't fly it--period. Don't allow people to engage in unsafe practices at your launches.

Someone using rocketry components to build a bomb is an extreme example. The much more real threat is that participants or spectators will be injured or killed during sanctioned events.

This incident should be a big wake-up call to the hobby.
 
Associated Press Article excerpts...
Beal, a rocket enthusiast and actor in several short films, had been in a relationship with Ildiko Krajnyak — the woman killed in the explosion — but they had recently broken up, according to his son, Nathan Beal.
He and his father build sport rockets, which are fuelled by a propellant called hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene, that Nathan Beal said is commercially and legally available at specialty hobby stores.
Asked about the FBI allegation that his father possessed a destructive device, Nathan Beal said, "That seems highly unlikely."

The biggest of the father-son rockets used about 5 pounds (2.3 kilograms) of fuel divided among multiple motors, he said.
"Probably what they found were motor cases made out of aluminum," he said.

Authorities have not disclosed what kind of explosive material was used in the blast.
 
BATF was once asked about potato launchers...their reply was that they hadn't looked into them, and that as long as they were used to launch spuds as an entertainment device, they were not going to look further...basically what they said was; really don't make us look into the matter, please. that was before we started experimenting w/ them...the spudders of today really, really don't want the ATF taking a closer look.
Rex

Don't tell 'em about those pumpkin chunkers…...
 
@lowga: I understand where you are coming from but I wholeheartedly disagree.

I wish to say a whole lot more but it would just come off like the rantings of the lunatic fringe.
 
Ohhhh beware the evil dangers of HTPB....... LoL
Could show a DIY liquid fuel rocket engine, now those bloody things make a terrific big boom when math is err. Show one of those liquid amatuer launches exploding violently and slanderous media will forget all about little APCP and HTPB. They Henk in horror as that huge fireball bores holes in sky. It's kinda like tossing a flash bang into a room, it gets everyone's attention. Whatever slanderous media was talking about they will completely change topic.

Oh did HTPB seem evil? Look what this massive LFRE did when it went big bad boom from a math error. ROFL.
 
I wish to say a whole lot more but it would just come off like the rantings of the lunatic fringe.
Just let it all flow from the fingertips you'll feel much better.
 
[video=youtube;1e5td7-Bpvc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e5td7-Bpvc[/video]
 
[video=youtube;MZ0SgAU9LXI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MZ0SgAU9LXI[/video]
 
Bombs leave tons of evidence. Both where they were made and where they were detonated. The ATF and/or FBI will know pretty quickly whether this guy possessed the materials involved in the manufacturing of the device.

Gotta say it looks grim though. Victim and POI had a relationship and a financial fallout. POI also had wife killed via mysterious circumstances and her autopsy revealed massive lead poisoning as well. Subsequently there was a lawsuit to collect the insurance. It would be unlikely that two people dating would have insurance policies naming one another as beneficiaries, but key man insurance for business is fairly common.
 
BATF was once asked about potato launchers...their reply was that they hadn't looked into them, and that as long as they were used to launch spuds as an entertainment device, they were not going to look further...basically what they said was; really don't make us look into the matter, please. that was before we started experimenting w/ them...the spudders of today really, really don't want the ATF taking a closer look.
Rex

I remember a college friend telling me about the spud gun they made in the ME machine shop. 6061-T6 barrel, bolt action, rifled, and designed to run on 600psi steam from the steam plant next door. Range was a couple of miles.

Seriously, I am not worried at the moment that BATF might come for our rockets and ejection charges. This might lead to more regulation of research propellant components, but it might not. I don't think research should be banned, though I'm also not particularly interested in it myself. While recognizing that everyone is innocent until proven guilty, Occam's Razor is not kind to the man in custody. It might be worth thinking about what we do if/when people with ill intent show up in the hobby.
 
From this article: https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-arres...e-device-amid-investigation/story?id=55230119

.... During the investigation into the explosion, officials served a search warrant at Beal's Long Beach, California, home. Multiple explosive materials were found in Beal's home, including at least three containers of black powder, a 7-foot-tall rocket, rocket-making equipment, two containers of potassium perchlorate -- used as a precursor -- and two containers of red gum, which is used as fuel and binder in fireworks, according to the complaint.

Altogether, 130 pounds of explosives/precursor material were found in his home, more of which was discovered in the garage, the complaint states. Beal admitted to owning the items, claiming to be a model rocket hobbyist. But, he has allegedly not pursued that hobby since 2004, according to the court document.



Also, this: https://ktla.com/2018/05/17/ex-boyf...ested-after-destructive-device-found-in-home/

"Ex-Boyfriend of Aliso Viejo Explosion Victim Arrested After Destructive Device Found in Home"

.....The ex-boyfriend and business partner of a woman who died in the Aliso Viejo explosion this week has been arrested after a destructive device was found in his Long Beach home, but he has not been charged in connection with the explosion, the FBI said Thursday.

Stephen Beal, 59, was charged with being in possession of an unregistered destructive device, according to a criminal complaint filed Thursday. He appeared in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana on Thursday, but his detention hearing was continued until Monday.

Police on Wednesday searched Beal’s Long Beach home on warrants involved in Ildiko Krajnyak's death. They told neighbors to keep a distance during their search in case of explosion.

Authorities found two improvised explosive devices, two handguns, a shotgun, chemical precursors and component parts of IEDs, according to the court filing.

Beal told the FBI he was a model rocket hobbyist but has not touched the rocket-making equipment and chemicals found in his home since 2004, according to the complaint. Beal also said he made fireworks, including mortars, but stopped after Sept. 11, 2001, because he "did not want to make the wrong impression," the complaint said.

Beal also told the FBI he saw reports about the explosion and said that he did not possess the material to create an explosion that large.

....snippage.....

Krajnyak, 48, died on Tuesday when an explosion went off at her day spa in the first floor of a two-story medical office building at 11 Mareblu.

Officers who responded to the scene found human remains outside a broken window and at an adjacent parking lot, according to the complaint. Authorities later determined that the remains belonged to Krajnyak, the complaint said.

Two female customers, a mother and daughter, were also injured. The two were about to pay when one of them noticed three or four brown cardboard boxes on the floor next to the front counter, according to the complaint.

Krajnyak picked up and opened one of the boxes, which exploded, the customer told investigators.

A nine-volt battery, cellphone, loose wires and melted material that appeared to be duct tape were found at the spot where the device is believed to have been set off.


So let me get this straight. He had 130 pounds of explosives-making material LEFT OVER, and claims he didn't have enough to cause an explosion "THAT LARGE"? As though, this poor lady was an olympic weightlifter who picked up a box weighing lots more than 130 pounds? Nah, the box wasn't that heavy - and whatever it weighed (she picked it up) it clearly had enough explosives in it to kill her and do all that damage. He says he stopped making fireworks in 2001, but KEPT all those supplies for 17 years rather than get rid of it or sell it off?

But the fireworks part does show he knows how to make explosives, this ain't somebody with a few Aerotech reloads and a bunch of Estes motors that the "bad ol gubmint" is claiming to be the explosive device.

I think you guys are backing the wrong horse and giving a blind eye to this guy by pretending what if the authorities came to check out your place if a person who USED to be close to you, died in an explosion.

Hell, that's law enforcement detective work 101 here: investigate the people most likely to have a motive and weed out bad leads. But this does not look like a bad lead. Looks like the most likely suspect..... was found to have the key elements that a bomber would be expected to have (and the self-admitted knowledge) for making such a thing. Does not mean mean he's guilty, but I would not "rally around" this guy as a fellow hobbyist (and he claims he quit 14 years ago anyway).

Maybe there is someone else, a murderous genius mastermind who has zero history of knowing anything about explosives, who learned how to make a bomb to kill her, knowing Mr. Beal would be suspect Number One and throw the authorities off the real killer's trail? Yes, let's go with that one since that's far more likely? Not very.

Of course, he has not even been charged with her murder. And he'll have his day (or days) in court for his current and possible future charges. But it does not look good.
 
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. He had 130 pounds of explosives-making material LEFT OVER, and claims he didn't have enough to cause an explosion "THAT LARGE"

if he is missing one key ingredient then technically he wouldn’t have enough material to make a bomb that large. Not saying he did or didn’t but he could have 100 tons of some material and be missing any of the final reagent and not be able to make any explosive.
 
What if he used that material and no longer possesses said key ingredient? Oh my gosh his term that large is so creepy. He has an inactive membership and is sitting on hundreds of pounds of chemicals. This guy knows pyrotechnics and flash powder would be simple for him if he's licensed to do that kind. I'm not saying he did it but not wanting to attract attention since 9/11 sounds just OFF!!???!!?? It seems like they can't prove he did it, but they got possession charges to stick. I don't want to accuse this guy of bad stuff but this doesn't look good for him or this hobby. I hope research flights continue and that hobbyists use the materials responsibly. Most responsible licensed explosive owners allow full transparency with government and are not talking of unwanted attention. His past seems shady too. Maybe the TRA can use the fact he is inactive as a reason that he wasn't responsible with chemicals he bought.
 
What if he used that material and no longer possesses said key ingredient? Oh my gosh his term that large is so creepy. He has an inactive membership and is sitting on hundreds of pounds of chemicals. This guy knows pyrotechnics and flash powder would be simple for him if he's licensed to do that kind. I'm not saying he did it but not wanting to attract attention since 9/11 sounds just OFF!!???!!?? It seems like they can't prove he did it, but they got possession charges to stick. I don't want to accuse this guy of bad stuff but this doesn't look good for him or this hobby. I hope research flights continue and that hobbyists use the materials responsibly. Most responsible licensed explosive owners allow full transparency with government and are not talking of unwanted attention. His past seems shady too. Maybe the TRA can use the fact he is inactive as a reason that he wasn't responsible with chemicals he bought.

What if Andrew! You are full of speculation. Take a pill, relax & speak with facts.
 
im-helping.jpg
 
I do know flash powder is often used in the big commercial sounding charges attached to firework 4" or 6" or larger mortars for sound effects. It's an explosive much more scarier than a certified or research rocket motor with e-match. There are some licensed pyrotechnic explosives manufacturers that chose to not make it due to its raw power and unstableness. In small grams to hundreds of grams it wrecks trees and craters stuff with thunderous booms from licensed pyro demonstrations on YouTube. That fact alone is likely why this guy got investigated and seems suspicious as a suspect with a family death. It's not model rocket toy level... In layman's terms it ain't dynamite but it's very dangerous stuff if misused. Most flash powder manufacturers will want to hide nothing and do not mind at all when Big Bothers agents come unannounced for weekly to monthly "inspections" of commercial explosive manufacturing operations. This inactivity in both pyrotechnics and rocketry seems very odd to me.
 
[FONT=Georgia Pro, Georgia, Times New Roman, serif]"The 11-page complaint states that a search warrant was served at Beal's Long Beach home, where authorities found two completed improvised explosive devices, three firearms, as well as "precursor chemicals, energetic materials, e-matches, variously sized cardboard and modified rocket tubes -- all known to be chemical precursors and component parts of IEDs."[/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia Pro, Georgia, Times New Roman, serif]I think this is a case where it was the context of the situation that caused the FBI to care about the rocket or fireworks materials. The biggest parts probably being the "completed IEDs" and the part where his recent ex-girlfriend and business partner just got blown up. The investigators probably think he is the one who did it and are mainly using those charges to put him in jail for the short term so he can't make a run for the border or commit another crime. The actual murder charges are probably waiting on the crime scene to be processed and for there to be an established and provable link to Beal as the perp.[/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia Pro, Georgia, Times New Roman, serif]A rocket motor or ejection charge is not an IED and probably wouldn't by suspected as one, considering its labeled or just a piece of tubing with 1-4 grams of BP in it. Yeah that could make a loud bang and blow out an eardrum or a few fingers but I'd hardly call that an obvious and intentional weapon. If he just happened to keep his stash of ejection charges(why anyone would have something like that idk) in his box of ammonium perchlorate or BP then he is either really stupid or a crazy bomb person and probably deserves what he has coming to him. As far as what this has to do with the rest of us, I'd say probably nothing. If you didn't just commit a crime bordering on terrorism you probably have absolutely nothing to worry about, even if a random cop just happened to walk into your garage and sees your pile of rockets and motors. [/FONT]
 
[FONT=Georgia Pro, Georgia, Times New Roman, serif]"The 11-page complaint states that a search warrant was served at Beal's Long Beach home, where authorities found two completed improvised explosive devices, three firearms, as well as "precursor chemicals, energetic materials, e-matches, variously sized cardboard and modified rocket tubes -- all known to be chemical precursors and component parts of IEDs."[/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia Pro, Georgia, Times New Roman, serif]I think this is a case where it was the context of the situation that caused the FBI to care about the rocket or fireworks materials. The biggest parts probably being the "completed IEDs" and the part where his recent ex-girlfriend and business partner just got blown up. The investigators probably think he is the one who did it and are mainly using those charges to put him in jail for the short term so he can't make a run for the border or commit another crime. The actual murder charges are probably waiting on the crime scene to be processed and for there to be an established and provable link to Beal as the perp.[/FONT]

[FONT=Georgia Pro, Georgia, Times New Roman, serif]A rocket motor or ejection charge is not an IED and probably wouldn't by suspected as one, considering its labeled or just a piece of tubing with 1-4 grams of BP in it. Yeah that could make a loud bang and blow out an eardrum or a few fingers but I'd hardly call that an obvious and intentional weapon. If he just happened to keep his stash of ejection charges(why anyone would have something like that idk) in his box of ammonium perchlorate or BP then he is either really stupid or a crazy bomb person and probably deserves what he has coming to him. As far as what this has to do with the rest of us, I'd say probably nothing. If you didn't just commit a crime bordering on terrorism you probably have absolutely nothing to worry about, even if a random cop just happened to walk into your garage and sees your pile of rockets and motors. [/FONT]

Your opinions in this post are exactly what I meant when I warned against speculating.
 
Admins, I think it would do our hobby a great service to get this thread deleted, and I don't mean locked. Thanks.
 
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