Improviz

The runway had a 1% grade, so I'd think they could get a good 1000 ft or so w/the bixenons; I tried it w/a friend who's got an ML500 w/them shortly after the accident, and they light up the road for around 2/10, so I'd think the lower lights of the car would cost some, but not hugely....assuming a 250' reaction time, they could've gotten stopped just in the nick of time if they'd have realized where they were. Which, for whatever reason, they didn't...or the other possibility is that as I wrote previously, he just waited until he hit top speed before braking, which wouldn't have left him enough room to brake.

But I'd still think they could've seen it, from what I saw in the photos there's a pretty distinct change in the paint patterns on the runway as you get closer to the North end....but maybe they didn't take note....whatever happened, I think it's safe to say that they planned this thing out about as thoroughly as my two year old has planned for her college years.

Improviz

Naw, the driver had no alcohol in his system. More like dumb goggles. The really dumb thing was to give an 18 year old a car like that.....at that age testosterone still rules the roost, brain hasn't quite tamped it down yet!

DFW01E55

I'm shocked, alcohol is such an easy bet.
I agree on the stupidity of the parents.

Improviz

Yeah, blew me away as well; I figured booze was involved for sure, but according to their toxicology reports only one of the kids (not the driver) had alcohol in his system, and none of them had drugs in their system.

I think it was the dad who was the stupid one....afaik the mom (they're separated) was pretty adamently against giving the kid that car, but dumb dad did it anyway.

I'll tell you: my kids are getting friggin' honda civics with two cylinders disabled, assuming we still have oil by then!

Improviz

Wow, I just had a hand-smacking-the-forehead moment: judging by the braking distance/speed of impact, they were clearly attempting to top that thing out, which as I mentioned would have taken most of the runway with a full car as that one was....I think that they'd have had enough illumination to have stopped if they were paying attention to the road, but that's the thing: since they were trying to hit the car's top speed, they were probably focusing on the speedometer (HUD for the driver), and that was probably what distracted them just enough to seal their fate.

I Like Soup

I might add, depending on the runway, they have 1000 ft markers down the side of the runway. As the feet decrease, you get a 5.....4....3.....2......indicators of how many thousands of feet are left on the runway. With this being a private airport, I don't know if they had that. But if I were Travolta flying a 707 in there, I'd want them.

skooby

RIP.

Jon2007E63P30

http://www.ocala.com/assets/pdf/OS1179264.PDF

Fog, last paragraph, page 11.

Oh yes, and foolishness.

NSX2NV

Rest in Peace. I pray that the families have peace and god with them in their time in need. Let's try and make this a lesson to be a little safer in our cars. Remember to take caution when letting others drive your car that is unfamiliar with it and speed itself. In the hands of an unexperienced driver it is definitely a weapon of death. Be safe guys!

Improviz

Lol, definitely!

Here's a pic of the airport; the end at the bottom of the pic is where they went off the runway.

Improviz

Ah-HAH! That's what did it....a few of us had speculated about fog, but this is the first confirmation I've seen. Man, how reckless can you be to try driving down a dark runway, at night, in the fog, at 150+ mph??? Doing it without the fog would be bad enough, but this was bloody insane!

He might as well have taken it to the nearest canyon and launched over the edge.

MJ50

oh my...
sad to hear the story for any motorist... RIP & best of all to the families & friends...

FxStuntDriver

Most likely that was not the first time for this kid to pull this "stunt", namely to top speed on that runway.

The only thing might have been different this time was the extra weight of the back passengers (they were all wrestlers) and the fog.
As well I believe that due to the speed and load the "brake fade" played a major role in this crash.

Most likely the driver did not realized that on the 4-5 run the time of the engine to top the speed is longer than the first 2.

The driver did realized the runway will end soon but due to the fog and the fact that he was paying attention more to the speedometer that to the runway did not know how close to the end of it it is.

When he did realized, he tried to swerve.

Harsany

So Sad! Prayers to them and thier families.

Cylinder Head

iTrader: (1)

When you dug this old, dead thread up, did you find this guy as well?

JamE55

Winter will eventually come don't force it. lol

Yacht Master

CH is this life on Wall Street today?

Cylinder Head

iTrader: (1)

For everybody but us. I'm calling up all of my broker friends loffing. I took monday off for a tactical shooting course and I'm going to St. John next week. Life is good if you're attached to the right asset manager.

Yacht Master

Good for you my friend, glad to hear it is not all doom and gloom. Enjoy St. Johns (I am sure you will). Tactical shooting sounds like fun, I have wanted to do a close quarters course, along the same line, but the course costs as much as a new full auto MP5.

+1 on the asset manager

FxStuntDriver

My friend, I believe this thread must not "die". Must be active as a reminder to all of us and especially to young drivers with powerful cars but limited experience.

This is something my friend I wouldn't joke about it.

Please make an useful contribution; else post in the thread with funny images
https://mbworld.org/forums/off-topic/54070-cool-picture-thread.html

Regards,

FxSD