Posted on 01/26/2008 11:37:51 AM PST by NormsRevenge
OCALA, Fla. - A car traveling at high speed down a private airport runway ran off an embankment and was airborne for 200 feet before smashing into a tree early Saturday, killing all five young men in the vehicle, the Florida Highway Patrol said.
Investigators did not know whether the BMW was alone or was racing another car on the air strip at the exclusive "fly-in" community of Jumbolair Aviation Estates, where pilot-actor John Travolta has a home, officials said.
According to the preliminary investigation, the car ran off the 85-foot-high embankment at the end of the runway. When it struck the large tree, the car split in half, scattering wreckage over an area of 200 square feet.
Three of the five occupants were ejected, said Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Mike Burroughs.
"It's too early in the investigation to determine a speed and also to determine whether seat belts were in use at the time of the crash," Burroughs said.
Two of the five men — ages 18 to 20 — were from Ocala, two were from Fairfield and one was from Anthony, but it was not clear if any of the men lived within the gated community.
Think about being alive for that 200 ft drop. That would suck.
Hmmmm....gene pool cleanup???
...
"It's too early in the investigation to determine a speed and also to determine whether seat belts were in use at the time of the crash," Burroughs said.
Probably not, and it's a real tragedy since I'm sure seatbelts would have saved them.
Darwin Award nominees?
The same thing happened in New Mexico a few years ago. Some kids driving around at night happened upon a farmer’s private runway, and raced down it at high speed, not realizing that it was on a mesa. The car flew over 300 ft before impact, and no-one survived. Seat belts are superfluous in these situations, IMHO. It’s like saying “he hit a tree on his motorcycle while traveling at 145 mph. He was not wearing a helmet.” As if it would have made any difference!
Hold mah beer and watch THIS!
Did they find Dukes of Hazzard videos on any of their iPods?
I wonder if there’s a video camera among the wreckage.
These you fellers should be praised for killing themselves somewhere other than a public highway where they could have killed others.
Did the passengers urge the driver on, or did the driver get out of control despite his passenger's admonitions? In any event... a tragedy.
You think the NTSB is searching for the black box yet?
Sort of like the seat belt statement by the cop, MOOT topic.
How long is the runway?
Point taken.
7,550 ft.
“ages 18 to 20”
What a waste. They really think they know how to drive after just a couple years behind the wheel.
The people on Korean Airlines 007 fell five miles before the crash killed them, and they were on no joy ride. Think about what THAT was like.
In the 1950’s a famous journalist Dennis Jenkinson, who navigated for Stirling Moss in the 1955 Mille Miglia said never drive at 10/10ths ( full speed, flat out) with passengers in the car. You don’t have the right to endanger their lives if you make a mistake.
One idiot killed himself and 4 friends. Pull over and let em out if you want to do something stupid.
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