Speeding car wrecks on runway, kills 5

AP on Yahoo ^ | 1/26/08 | AP

[driftdiver]

“Think about being alive for that 200 ft drop. That would suck.”

Not as much as the sudden stop at the end. Plus I doubt they had much time to think about it and were probably to drunk to realize what was happening. 200 feet at 100mph isn’t very long.

[driftdiver]

“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.”

That would take 3-4 minutes wouldn’t it?

[trisham]

Think about being alive for that 200 ft drop.

******************

I can't. It's too awful to contemplate. What a shame.

[Spktyr]

The funny part is that the 08 BMWs *do* have a black-box-like function in their central computers. If that survived, it may be possible to find out just what happened.

[Spktyr]

You hit about 120mph (terminal velocity for average human body in spread-eagle posture in the lower atmosphere) in the first seven seconds after the fall begins. Time to surface level from 5 miles altitude is a little over two and a half minutes.

However, unless one of the passengers had an oxygen bottle with them when the KAL jet was blown apart, oxygen deprivation (which occurs at altitudes greater than 10,000 - 15,000ft or so depending on the individual, call it three miles up) would have caused loss of consciousness and/or death long before their bodies hit the ground.

[Loud Mime]

KAL was not blown apart.

“Just prior to being attacked, the 747 had been cruising at an altitude around 35,000 feet. When the missile exploded, KAL 007’s tail was pushed downward which at the same time lifted its nose causing a brief altitude gain before it began to descend from 18:26 until recording ceased at 18:27:46. Capt. Chun was able to turn off the autopilot (18:26:46) and it is unknown whether he was able to regain any measure of control[8] as the aircraft spiraled toward the ocean around 5 miles (8 km) below after the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder stopped functioning. The final moments of the crash remain a matter of conjecture; some evidence suggests that the pilot may have attempted a controlled and ultimately unsuccessful ‘ditching’ into the ocean, or the aircraft may have crashed out of the pilot’s control.”

One does not immediately lose consciousness at that altitude. We don’t know what happened on board, but if they were conscious for the entire descent it’s a long time to stare death in the eye.

[Spktyr]

I was referring to the theoretical passenger blown out of an airplane.

Nobody really knows what happened to the jet, because most of the wreckage was never found and as you noted the flight recorders died shortly after the descent began.

If the jet lost pressurization and the oxygen masks didn’t drop in time, and/or the oxygen system was damaged, most of those on board would have been unconscious within 30 seconds at 35,000 feet, if I recall the tables correctly.

Soviet doctrine of the time prescribed the firing of missiles in staggered pairs (one radar homer, one heat-seeker) to increase the chance of a hit, and to keep firing until the pilot was out of ammunition, the target was positively destroyed, or the ground controller ordered the engagement aborted. If I recall correctly, evidence seems to indicate that of the first launched pair, the IR homer missed, but the radar missile hit in the rear fuselage (which is where you would expect). My guess is that this either weakened the airframe which later maneuvers by the pilot overstressed - or the 747 ate a couple more missiles after that as it was still flying. An additional rear hit that perhaps blew off the tail would account for the data recorder (which is mounted in the tail) stop.

[MarkL]

Three of the five occupants were ejected, said Florida Highway Patrol Lt. Mike Burroughs.

BMWs have ejection seats?

Mark

[Spktyr]

They do if you hit something and you’re not belted in, especially if the car is tumbling or cartwheeling. A modern car is often designed to blow out its sunroof (if so equipped) or glass/window frames when the airbag go off to avoid concussive effects.

[Womp Rat]

I’m not trying to downplay the tragedy, but I think there seems to be some confusion. Nowhere in the article does is say the car fell 200 feet—it was airborne for 200 feet. The other article says it was an 85ft drop, which the car did not achieve as it crashed into the tree above the ground. Awful nonetheless.

[Alice in Wonderland]

Less than 12 hours before he died, Joshua Ammirato was posting messages on an Internet message board seeking advice about how to drive his 2008 BMW M5 faster.

http://www.ocala.com/article/20080127/BREAKING_NEWS/274162577/1053/BREAKING_NEWS