ORLANDO, Fla. - A former NASA astronaut who commanded space shuttle Discovery's second-to-last mission died after a water scooter crash involving his sons near Pensacola Beach.
Capt. Alan Poindexter, 50, died Sunday after a water scooter driven by his 26-year-old son, Zachary, collided into the back of another one the former astronaut was riding.
"They were both moving and for some reason Capt. Poindexter stopped his watercraft and Zachary for some reason didn't see him stop," said Stan Kirkland, a spokesman for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. "Zachary's watercraft went up and struck Capt. Poindexter."
Another son, 22-year-old Samuel, was on Poindexter's scooter. They were thrown into the water. A boat picked up Poindexter and took him to shore. He was talking and complaining about rib injuries but he lost consciousness and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
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The accident happened in a bay between Gulf Breeze and Pensacola Beach in Florida's Panhandle where Poindexter had been vacationing. His family has close ties to the area. His wife, Lisa, is from Gulf Breeze, and Poindexter reported to flight training in Pensacola after college.
No charges were filed, Kirkland said, and an exact cause of death would be determined by the medical examiner.
