Author Topic: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?  (Read 26570 times)

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Offline Bob Drury

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #30 on: November 07, 2019, 12:59:12 PM »
  Here is how I see it.
  Anyone driving a vehicle with the capacity to exceed two hundred miles an hour is accepting the fact that they are in imminent danger
of loss of life if ANYTHING goes wrong, mechanical or otherwise.
  I have a couple of different DVD's and Book's related to the Brit's successful attempts to break the Sound Barrier at Black Rock Desert and You would have to digest all of the info contained to understand  how much effort (and money) it took them to lay out courses long enough to make a run and back it up.  They literally walked the many mile surface before every pass and used multiple helicopters to scout for debris before every attempt.  They were required by the BLM to have air security to keep people and animals away from the courses at all times.  The logistical time and cost were in the millions.  Ask Craig Breedlove about the costs.
  Ed, Jessie, the partners and friends and small sponsors all knew ahead of time that they could not control the surface, sub surface, weather or course safety with a limited budget and time but THEY ALL CHOSE TO ACCEPT THAT RISK  pursuing the one thing they all shared... reaching out to the Racer's ultimate dream, to conquer the goal of being the fastest that they can be and hopefully be remembered for the goals they achieved if not record's.
  Tom Burkland nearly lost His life at Bonneville when He hit a half buried oil drum and destroyed the family streamliner.  Bob Dalton should be dead. George Poteet crashed horrifically. Watch the in car videos of Danny Thompson or the Turbinator, both near disaster's.
  The point I am making is that none of us are bulletproof.  We make our own life decisions and our fate is often out of our hand's, especially if We are risk takers.
  As Stainlesss said, the vehicle Jessie drove was legal for FIA records and from the reports sofar nothing could have saved Her.
  One more thing to ponder... at 250 mph You are going a football field (100 yards a second) so to think that She could have done anything to save Herself is ludicrous... She died doing what She wanted, may She Rest In Peace.
                                                                                      Bob Drury
Bob Drury

Offline Stainless1

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #31 on: November 07, 2019, 08:49:12 PM »
Well who would've ever thought One Run could be the voice of reason   :roll: Thanks Bob
I think it is a good time to let Jessie rest in peace and the NAE Team have a little quiet time. 
Stainless
Red Hat 228.039, 2001, 65ci, Bockscar Lakester #1000 with a little N2O

Offline racergeo

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #32 on: November 07, 2019, 10:14:52 PM »
   Maybe so, but did we just get told this is NOT a forum and that that we should abdicate out first amendment rights??

Offline Beef Stew

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #33 on: November 07, 2019, 11:44:21 PM »
When I started racing in the 1950's, even NASCAR wasn't safety conscious. Just look at those early helmets.

Back then if you wanted to stay safe, you staid home. Today, real racers still don't stay home.
Former record holder at RIR ½ mile drags, El Mirage and Bonneville.

Beef Stew doesn't have his head where the sun-don't-shine. His head is in SoCal where the unusual is an everyday happening.

Offline aircap

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #34 on: November 08, 2019, 12:34:24 AM »
Quote
Maybe so, but did we just get told this is NOT a forum and that that we should abdicate out first amendment rights??

Not at all.
But we should probably show a little courtesy and common sense and just shut the hell up about it.
"Act your age, not your shoe size". - Prince

Offline kiwi belly tank

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #35 on: November 08, 2019, 12:45:54 AM »
The NAE was controversial right from the start & obviously still is.
 I was of the understanding they started their own Land Speed Record Association because they couldn't & didn't want to run under FIA rules! Is that not the case?
Where is the "FIA legal" information coming from? & that question opens many more!
Why did they claim Jessie was the fastest woman on four wheels when the car had five wheels?
These & many other questions will probably never be answered, just like they never were before it crashed. The media & Joe Public hear the claims & take them for the truth!
  Sid.

Offline Bob Drury

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #36 on: November 08, 2019, 12:52:57 AM »
  TRUMP did it.............................  One Run, out............................
Bob Drury

Offline 4-barrel Mike

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #37 on: November 08, 2019, 01:22:11 AM »
An ignorant response from the Peanut Gallery: Rob Freyvogel has "survived" a crash somewhere over 400mph in Blue's superior design.  Would he have "survived" at all in a crash approaching 600mph?  I doubt it.

Mike
Mike Kelly - PROUD owner of the V4F that powered the #1931 VGC to a 82.803 mph record in 2008!

Offline noboD

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #38 on: November 08, 2019, 01:31:58 AM »
PLEASE lock this bullshit thread.

Offline 4-barrel Mike

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #39 on: November 08, 2019, 01:44:27 AM »
PLEASE lock this Bentley thread.

Say what??

Quote
Bentley thread
  what the he!! is that?

Mike
Mike Kelly - PROUD owner of the V4F that powered the #1931 VGC to a 82.803 mph record in 2008!

Offline tallguy

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #40 on: November 08, 2019, 01:57:24 AM »
Quote
Maybe so, but did we just get told this is NOT a forum and that that we should abdicate out first amendment rights??

Not at all.
But we should probably show a little courtesy and common sense and just shut the hell up about it.

I am in favor of being courteous to living people.  In my opinion, if Jessi is "resting in peace", she's not going to be bothered by discussions that might help other living people to survive land speed racing.

It appears to me that some folks with useful info about the fatal run aren't telling the world what was
seen or otherwise witnessed (i.e., anything Jessi said in her last few moments).  There could be some
helpful knowledge to be shared.  Who among us is not in favor of more safety within the (admittedly
risky) activities of driving at speeds exceeding a couple hundred mph?

I met Jessi, and consider some of the NAE team members as friends.  All great folks, in my opinion.
But mistakes were made in the past.  They didn't result in a crash then.  More than a year ago, the
wind, prior to a run, blew down a mile marker.  Jessi, not seeing that marker, drove far off-course (onto un-cleared ground). I witnessed this, and shortly thereafter learned that the mile markers were not all safely and thoroughly secured to the ground.  That's the kind of thing that can get someone killed.  I was one of the people in earlier NAE test sessions that walked the course, picking up rocks.  Most of those I found were fairly small(ish), but several were about 5 pounds, with only a tip showing above the dirt, like the tip of an iceberg. 
It gave me immense pleasure to learn that I was digging up a potential killer rock.  After spending much time clearing lanes that were about 100 feet wide, I learned that Jessi drove outside this area on at least one run.
I was angered not because she "cheapened" my time.  I was concerned for her safety.

I would also like to know more details about the fatal run.  Did Jessi deploy a chute during her last run?  If so, did it function decently?  How about air brakes?  Did she run off the end of the lake bed at high speed?  Did she (while at high speed) stay on the fodded (cleared) part of the lakebed? 

The reason I'm seeking facts is not to gloat over death and/or destruction.  I am very bothered and unhappy about all this, and certainly don't want to minimize the pain experienced by anyone over any of it.  But safety improvements are still evolving, sometimes after some very unpleasant occurrences.  Who can help us learn what went wrong?  Is the news released by the county Sheriff available to the general public?  Is there some important information being held back, in order to save someone from embarrassment, guilt, or lawsuit(s)? 

It's been said that "all the world loves a scandal."  I take exception to that, as I don't like scandals.  But I am a big fan of safety.  I believe that the NAE should have had a nice padded roll cage, and perhaps even airbags in the cockpit.  Yeah, this sounds like some kind of Monday evening quarterbacking, and of course it can't bring Jessi or any other crash victims back to life.  But I strongly believe that we should be talking about this. And the Bloodhound team, along with the Aussie Invader team, should participate in the discussion.
« Last Edit: November 08, 2019, 02:00:41 AM by tallguy »

Offline manta22

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #41 on: November 08, 2019, 10:47:14 AM »
After a plane crash there is a report filed by the National Transportation Safety Board, detailing what happened and the probable cause of the accident, including inspection reports of failed items, etc. It would be helpful to the racing community to be able to learn from these types of reports of racing accidents.

I am afraid that we are being denied this by the fear of incurring lawsuits. We as a society are becoming ruled by lawyers. I despise lawyers.
Regards, Neil  Tucson, AZ

Offline 4-barrel Mike

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #42 on: November 08, 2019, 10:54:51 AM »
"The first thing we do, let's kill all the lawyers." Shakespeare, King Henry VI, Part 2  :cheers:
Mike Kelly - PROUD owner of the V4F that powered the #1931 VGC to a 82.803 mph record in 2008!

Offline donpearsall

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #43 on: November 08, 2019, 11:43:18 AM »
That was an excellent post Tallguy. Thanks for being a voice of reason. You actually have first hand experience with the team. I don't understand why some think we should not discuss this tragedy. Even though most of us are not going to drive a 500 mph jet car, we can still learn from the facts of this crash. Every racer should be open to learning from success and from failure.

Don
550 hp 2003 Suzuki Hayabusa Land Speed Racer

Offline gowing

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Re: Any news on what caused the North American Eagle F104 - Jessi Combs crash?
« Reply #44 on: November 08, 2019, 12:47:43 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,....
"most likely caused by striking an object".
Were they not able to tell for sure that the wheel failed as a direct result of impact?