Tesla: 3 employees killed in Calif. plane crash

Tesla: 3 employees killed in Calif. plane crash

news.yahoo.com

EAST PALO ALTO, Calif. – The three people killed on board a small plane that went down in a Northern California neighborhood were all employees of Tesla Motors Inc.

The twin-engine Cessna 310 crashed in a residential area of East Palo Alto on Wednesday morning after hitting some power lines. It had just taken off from Palo Alto Airport in heavy fog.

(visit the link for the full news article)

How convenient for certain interests that this disaster took place. I've worked with critical technology and operations at larger companies and we always knew not to travel more than 2 together just in case..

My hearts go out for their families and friends. Let's hope this darkening can shine some light on their company and their accomplishments thus far.

news.yahoo.com
(visit the link for the full news article)

[edit on 17-2-2010 by TXRabbit]

Do they mean Tesla, as in, they are working to develop Tesla energy and devices?

If so, then this is very troubling, and extremely fishy in my eyes...


~Keeper

reply to post by tothetenthpower


The Tesla Automotive company. They research/manufacture electric cars

Originally posted by tothetenthpower
Do they mean Tesla, as in, they are working to develop Tesla energy and devices?

If so, then this is very troubling, and extremely fishy in my eyes...


~Keeper

No...Tesla Motors...the make very high (very high) priced electric sports cars.


I don't think their cars have anything to do with Tesla energy...just marketing off of the name...but I could be wrong.


Tesla Motors

[edit on 17-2-2010 by OutKast Searcher]

Originally posted by TXRabbit

How convenient for certain interests that this disaster took place.

the death of those 3 could very well change a timeline significantly.. seeing as how their industrious business actions, choices, etc, could very well exponentially change the lives of billions of people drastically and exponentially.

-

Bumping because I cannot believe this is not getting more attention ESPECIALLY on this forum.
As soon as I read the three deaths were electric car maker Tesla Motors workers I ran to this board thinking this would be front page and flagged but it is on the second page, wth?
This crash is highly sketchy and needs to be dissected bit by bit as information becomes available.
Article:

EAST PALO ALTO, Calif. – A twin-engine plane carrying three employees of electric car maker Tesla Motors struck a set of power lines after takeoff Wednesday and crashed into a fog-shrouded residential neighborhood, raining fiery debris over homes, sending residents running for safety and killing everyone aboard.

Menlo Park Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman said the Cessna 310 either struck a 100-foot electrical tower or clipped its power transmission lines and broke apart, dropping debris throughout the working-class Silicon Valley neighborhood. It was not immediately clear if the dense fog played a role in the crash.

Menlo Park Fire Chief Harold Schapelhouman said the Cessna 310 either struck a 100-foot electrical tower or clipped its power transmission lines and broke apart, dropping debris throughout the working-class Silicon Valley neighborhood. It was not immediately clear if the dense fog played a role in the crash.
"Tesla is a small, tightly knit company, and this is a tragic day for us," Tesla CEO Elon Musk said in a statement.

The Cessna crashed around 7:55 a.m. shortly after takeoff from the Palo Alto Airport and was bound for Hawthorne Municipal Airport in Southern California, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. The crash site is one mile northwest of the airport, near Tesla's headquarters in San Carlos.

The crash comes at a difficult time for Tesla, which employs 515 people worldwide and just three weeks ago disclosed plans to hold an initial public offering of stock. In its filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company said its future business is dependent on the successful rollout of new vehicles. The two-door Roadster sports car is the only product that the money-losing company currently sells, retailing for $109,000. It has sold about 1,000 since its inception, and its next vehicle — the Model S sedan — is due in showrooms in 2012. It has a base price of $57,400, although a federal tax credit could reduce the cost to less than $50,000. Tesla has not said when specifically it plans to go public, nor has it said how much it intends to raise.

Most uninformative article, mostly about the effects on the ground, copied and pasted any information about the deaths.
Wonder if these "workers" figured out a way to make an affordable, competitive free energy vehicle?

Plain old "employees" do not usually take private flights...just sayin'.

Edited for Phages clarity, same point different wording.


yahoo



[edit on 17-2-2010 by SEEWHATUDO]

These 3 Executives also had interests in Toyota and Volvo doing a quick sweep on the company name earlier.
Makes one wonder..

reply to post by SEEWHATUDO

Plain old "workers" do not usually fly on private jets...just sayin'.

Private jet? Give me a break. A Cessna 310 is a six seat, twin engined prop plane. Flying them in foggy conditions is dangerous.



[edit on 2/17/2010 by Phage]

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by SEEWHATUDO

 

Plain old "workers" do not usually fly on private jets...just sayin'.

Private jet? Give me a break. A Cessna 310 is a six seat, twin engined prop plane. Flying them in foggy conditions is dangerous.



[edit on 2/17/2010 by Phage]

Why dont you please give me a break!
Do you know a lot of "workers" who fly on private flights?
You got my point, pick out jet if you want it doesnt change the direction I was going and I am pretty sure you knew that.
I am not a "let's wait and see what Phage says" follower but thank you!

small plane + fog = accident.

No conspiracy or any foul play, in my opinion.

reply to post by SEEWHATUDO


You're the one who used the term "jet". You're also the one who used the term "workers". There is a big difference between a jet and a small aircraft which is at least 30 years old. The word used was "employees". Executives are employees just as much as "workers" are.

You made up somethings out of nothings.

Originally posted by Phage
reply to post by SEEWHATUDO

 

You're the one who used the term "jet". You're also the one who used the term "workers". There is a big difference between a jet and a small aircraft which is at least 30 years old. The word used was "employees". Executives are employees just as much as "workers" are.

You made up somethings out of nothings.

You LOVE picking stuff apart but you got what I was saying.
These were not just regular old employees taking a private flight.
"Executives are employees just as much as "workers" are"
Not making up somethings out of nothings since even you could see the point I was making...

What point?

The Cessna is registered to Air Unique Inc., located on a residential street in Santa Clara. According to the California Secretary of State Web site, the business owner is Doug Bourn.

According to an American Society of Mechanical Engineers' Web site, Bourn was an electrical engineer at Tesla, where he helped design and test the power electronics module for the Tesla Roadster.

"He was off to the left of center by half a mile," Gottfredson said. "He should have been over the bay."

John Ferrell, a Los Altos Hills pilot who flies out of the Palo Alto Airport about four times a week, said he arrived just after the plane took off.

"You couldn't see 100 feet in front of you," Ferrell said. He noted that under those conditions, a plane can take off but not land because the runway isn't visible.

Pretty in depth article here:
www.mercurynews.com...


[edit on 2/17/2010 by Phage]

Sorry this was not a private flight, the plane was actually owned by one of the Tesla employees. (once again backing up my point that these 3 people were higher up in the company)

Most interesting part is that Doug Bourn owns Air Unique Inc. and the plane is registered to Air Unique Inc.
Bourn is not confirmed as one of the deaths but he is confirmed as senior electrical engineer with Tesla Motors.

Plane in CA fatal crash owned by Tesla employee
EAST PALO ALTO, Calif. — A small plane that went down in a Northern California neighborhood, killing all three aboard, is owned by an employee of Tesla Motors Inc.

The twin-engine Cessna 310 crashed in a residential area of East Palo Alto on Wednesday morning after hitting some power lines. It had just taken off from Palo Alto Airport in heavy fog.

The plane is registered to Air Unique Inc. of Santa Clara, and California secretary of state records show that Doug Bourn owns the company. No one answered at the phone listing for the company Wednesday.

Tesla spokesman Ricardo Reyes says Bourn is a senior electrical engineer for the electric car manufacturer. But Reyes could not confirm if Bourn or any other employees were on board.

arti cle

Designing and building a reliable car for the public is more of a mechanical engineering accomplishment than the cutting edge theoretical work Tesla did. Is there any other connection with Tesla we should know about? Can't be any Tesla conspiracy without a connection. I read one account of the plane crash and it wasn't captivating to say the least. Witness accounts mostly. Who is Lisa Jones-Smith?

Wow. I am also surprised that this hasn't received more attention. Just before they go public?

The company filed IPO documents to federal regulators in late January for an initial public offering of stock worth as much as $100 million.

The IPO should be able to go forward, even though any change in the company's management would require a new S-1 filing. NBC Bay Area reports that the three dead were not members of the company's top management team.

INC. Article

Looks like Bourn was flying the plane. The two others have not been named.

The Huffington Post is reporting that a plane owned by Tesla electrical engineer Doug Bourn has crashed shortly after takeoff. The plane was en route from Palo Alto to Los Angeles and was carrying two other Tesla employees. Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla Motors, was not believed to be on the plane.

Source

reply to post by DukeOfDorch


Bourn = Senior Electrical Engineer

Electrical engineering, often referred to as the electrical and electronic engineering (EEE), is a field of engineering that generally deals with the study and application of electricity, electronics and electromagnetism. It is a very broad area that encompasses the design and study of various electrical & electronic systems, such as electrical circuits, generators, motors, transformers, magnetic devices & materials, other electromagnetic/electromechanical devices, electronic devices, electronic circuits, electronic materials, optical fibers, optoelectronic devices, computer systems, radio, television, telephony, telecommunications, wireless, microwave systems, mobile telephony, radar, data communication, computer networking, nanotechnology, photonics, MEMs, etc.

wiki

Mmm ... not for nothing but Tesla Motors is pretty far ahead with their engineering and product development for the loss of three employees (as long as they're not the ones running the company) to make a massive difference.

www.teslamotors.com...

If this had happened during the patenting or prototype stage the old conspiratorial hat would fit a little more snuggly. Chances are, because there doesn't at the moment seem to be much gained by third parties from their death, that this is another tragic accident for those involved and their families.

Pending the release of names and professional responsibilities, keeping said conspiratorial chapeau in hand and at the ready instead sporting proudly for all to see would be the more prudent of courses at this juncture.