Author Topic: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?  (Read 26584 times)

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Offline J79

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Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
"My, people come and go so quickly here." Dorothy, from the movie Wizard of Oz.

"I have marveled often at the thin line that divides success from failure, and the sudden turn that leads from apparently certain disaster to comparative safety." Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic Explorer, 1874-1922.

From the movie Dr. Strangelove, General Jack D. Ripper:

"Mandrake, in the name of Her Majesty and the Continental Congress come here and feed me this belt boy... Mandrake, come over here, the Red Coats are coming!"

"He said war was too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious "automotive" bodily fluids."

Offline ski123

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It's been two months with no answers.  I understand an investigation needed to take place, but.  NAE team was never known for good communication.  I'm guessing they want to keep things as quiet as possible, for multiple reasons.  I'm sure folks in this community know more then they are telling, and that's ok.  Still some big wounds to heal.  Someday we will know more, someday.  Is someone making a documentary?  They might have all the rights to any media, we all know there is footage somewhere.  There is quite a story to be told here.

Offline MAYOMAN

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I inquired to the Harney County medical examiner for the coroner's report - an official pubic document. No reply. They are required to determine cause of death - natural, accident, suicide, murder - by law. It probably will be a lengthy process. The news reports were that data recorders and other evidence at the scene were taken by the Harney County sheriff, so that must be analyzed. While the coroner's report is a public document, good luck finding it.
The road is long - Life is short - Drive fast

Offline MAYOMAN

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I may be in error regarding the public records laws in Oregon. I was relating to Alabama public records laws and disclosure of coroner reports. Oregon law is more complex regarding disclosure. It is more likely the Harney County sheriff will file an accident report covering the incident. As a (former) race car designer I would be interested in knowing the actual cause of death, whether it was trauma from impact, for example, versus fire (reported in the news), or any other detail which could lead to safety rules improvements in land speed racing. Obviously this was an accident, not murder or suicide. I was just reciting the legal distinctions for the cause of death contained in a coroner report in Alabama.
The road is long - Life is short - Drive fast

Offline SPARKY

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From what I read and saw-- she hit stationary objects at a high rate of speed
Miss LIBERTY,  changing T.K.I.  to noise, dust, rust, BLUE HATS & hopefully not scrap!!

"Security is mostly a superstition. It does not exist in nature, nor do the children of men as a whole experience it. Avoiding danger is no safer in the long run than outright exposure. Life is either a daring adventure or nothing."   Helen Keller

We are going to explore the racing N words NITROUS & NITRO!

Offline kiwi belly tank

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I may be in error regarding the public records laws in Oregon. I was relating to Alabama public records laws and disclosure of coroner reports. Oregon law is more complex regarding disclosure. It is more likely the Harney County sheriff will file an accident report covering the incident. As a (former) race car designer I would be interested in knowing the actual cause of death, whether it was trauma from impact, for example, versus fire (reported in the news), or any other detail which could lead to safety rules improvements in land speed racing. Obviously this was an accident, not murder or suicide. I was just reciting the legal distinctions for the cause of death contained in a coroner report in Alabama.
The NAE didn't conform to any acceptable construction or safety rules so it's unlikely to contribute anything helpful.
  Sid.

Offline MAYOMAN

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On run 13 of The Blue Flame, Gary Gabelich lost the high speed parachute on a 555 mi/h run. The parachute line was melted by the hot rocket exhaust (running rich outside the nozzle) and broke, leaving  Gary to ride it out into the mud at mile 13. He never deployed the 2nd high speed parachute when he decided to ride it out. Reports of a fire on Jessi's run left me wondering if the parachutes were damaged by the alleged fire. Other reports stated the parachutes broke off the car, which then crashed. On The Blue Flame we installed fireproof panels behind the parachute cannisters and never had the problem again. So, did a fire occur before the crash and cause parachute failure? Did the fire occur after the crash? Was there actually a fire? Did the turbojet exhaust damage the parachutes before deployment?
The road is long - Life is short - Drive fast

Offline MX304

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #7 on: November 04, 2019, 09:39:20 PM »
https://www.autoblog.com/2019/11/04/jessi-combs-speed-record-crash-cause-wheel-failure/

I'm trying to find the full text of the sheriff's report mentioned in the link above.

Offline racergeo

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #8 on: November 04, 2019, 10:04:32 PM »
  Ya, I've been mum on the subject but that is a pretty accurate account from someone who was there. Reason that the shoots didn't come out. Of course the crash and the fuel. Horrific is the right description, that and very sad.

Offline J79

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #9 on: November 05, 2019, 04:00:44 PM »
"Jessi Combs fatal high-speed crash was caused by a mechanical failure of the front wheel, most likely caused from striking an object on the desert, according to the Harney County Sheriffs Office in Oregon. This information comes to us two months after Combs tragic accident on the dry lake bed of the Alvord Desert. Combs was 39 years old.

The investigation concluded that the front wheel failure led to the front wheel assembly collapsing. The sheriff's department says this happened at speeds approaching 550 mph. Both the Harney County Sheriffs Office and the North American Eagle Race Team collected evidence from the scene to come to this conclusion.

Her cause of death was determined to be blunt force trauma to the head, which happened before the vehicle was engulfed in flames. No other official information regarding the crash was released.
"

https://www.autoblog.com/2019/11/04/jessi-combs-speed-record-crash-cause-wheel-failure/
"My, people come and go so quickly here." Dorothy, from the movie Wizard of Oz.

"I have marveled often at the thin line that divides success from failure, and the sudden turn that leads from apparently certain disaster to comparative safety." Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic Explorer, 1874-1922.

From the movie Dr. Strangelove, General Jack D. Ripper:

"Mandrake, in the name of Her Majesty and the Continental Congress come here and feed me this belt boy... Mandrake, come over here, the Red Coats are coming!"

"He said war was too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious "automotive" bodily fluids."

Offline gowing

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #10 on: November 05, 2019, 04:26:45 PM »
"Jessi Combs fatal high-speed crash was caused by a mechanical failure of the front wheel, most likely caused from striking an object on the desert,
so then.........If I am reading this correctly,  it was "most likely" the condition of the course (objects on it) that caused her to crash?
how unfortunate.

Offline J79

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #11 on: November 05, 2019, 05:38:06 PM »
You can walk the surface and see a flat, rock free surface. The metal wheels of the North American Eagle penetrate the surface a few inches and find the unavoidable hidden hard objects.
"My, people come and go so quickly here." Dorothy, from the movie Wizard of Oz.

"I have marveled often at the thin line that divides success from failure, and the sudden turn that leads from apparently certain disaster to comparative safety." Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic Explorer, 1874-1922.

From the movie Dr. Strangelove, General Jack D. Ripper:

"Mandrake, in the name of Her Majesty and the Continental Congress come here and feed me this belt boy... Mandrake, come over here, the Red Coats are coming!"

"He said war was too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious "automotive" bodily fluids."

Offline J79

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #12 on: November 05, 2019, 05:44:46 PM »
I wonder if a full roll cage or a full face helmet would have helped keep her alive?
"My, people come and go so quickly here." Dorothy, from the movie Wizard of Oz.

"I have marveled often at the thin line that divides success from failure, and the sudden turn that leads from apparently certain disaster to comparative safety." Ernest Shackleton, Antarctic Explorer, 1874-1922.

From the movie Dr. Strangelove, General Jack D. Ripper:

"Mandrake, in the name of Her Majesty and the Continental Congress come here and feed me this belt boy... Mandrake, come over here, the Red Coats are coming!"

"He said war was too important to be left to the generals. When he said that, 50 years ago, he might have been right. But today, war is too important to be left to politicians. They have neither the time, the training, nor the inclination for strategic thought. I can no longer sit back and allow Communist infiltration, Communist indoctrination, Communist subversion and the international Communist conspiracy to sap and impurify all of our precious "automotive" bodily fluids."

Offline racefanwfo

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #13 on: November 05, 2019, 09:29:24 PM »
Why are we getting information about the crash from the sheriff instead of the information comming from the NAE people.
The speed that you wish to achieve is only limited by the depth of your wallet.

Offline jl222

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #14 on: November 05, 2019, 09:42:53 PM »
I wonder if a full roll cage or a full face helmet would have helped keep her alive?

 MY thoughts also. Were they thinking nobody's will survive an 800 mph crash?

 BUT how about a 500 mph crash or less?

  What's Bloodhound's roll bar system like. Hard to tell from what i've seen.

   JL222