Flight test o' a 6 inch diameter 2400 lbs thrust solid rocket motor. Arrr! Rocket weight at takeoff = 145 lbs. Begad! Motor was designed for a two stage 220 lbs rocket, but rocket was nay ready in time and a lighter weight single stage airframe was substituted. Ya scallywag! As a result, shiver me timbers, t' thrust t' weight ratio was 16 t' 1 (too high) instead o' a more sane 10 t' 1. Aye aye! Recovered flight data indicated acceleration exceeded 40 g's. Propellant grains collapsed under t' high acceleration causin' t' chamber pressure t' exceed t' max design pressure o' t' motor case. T' forward closure failed, matey, ejectin' t' forward bulkhead and separatin' t' airframe. T' rocket tumbled end over end at ~Mach 2, shiver me timbers, and t' resultin' aerodynamic loads shredded it into pieces which fall and impact t' desert. Balls Experimental Rocket Launch Black Rock Desert Nevada Sept. Avast, me proud beauty! 19, 2005