Catapult Mishap Hurls Navy Man 750 Feet
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LAKEHURST, N.J. — A Navy man was hurled 750 feet at more than 170 m.p.h. Tuesday by a catapulted dead weight used to simulate an aircraft, officials said. The man lost part of a leg and was seriously injured.
Aviation Boatswains Mate 1st Class Robert Dearth, 28, an 11-year Navy veteran, was injured when he was caught in front of the dead load as it was shot from the catapult at the Naval Air Engineering Center.
The catapult test involved shooting the 46,750-pound load, which is a massive steel framed vehicle on wheels that simulates the weight of an airplane, said Navy spokesman Nick Grand.
The catapult is identical to those used to launch planes from aircraft carriers, Grand said. Dearth, who was acting as launch officer during the tests, was caught after he signaled the catapult operator to begin the launch sequence.
“I don’t think at this point anybody really knows what really happened except for him,” Grand said.
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