Seen the tape of the crash, Franklin? The rear half of the body came off when the engine exploded. Your NACA ducts would have gone bye-bye.
Also, according to NHRA rules, the chutes are to be mounted so that both open when the body comes off. They did so, and one burned off immediately.
Tapes show the front half of the body was still on - but we can't tell if it obscured his vision, or not.
I can't speak to the validity of new ribbon chutes, so I'll leave that to others.
The N.J. Highway Patrol & the NHRA are investigating the accident, and have concluded the car was airborne at approximately 250MPH over the sand trap (not sand at Englishtown, by the way), and hit the retaining wall, continuing over it and hitting the cab of the camera boom truck, coming to rest in the trees beyond the wall.
Here's a bird's eye view of the top end at Englishtown.
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=458074&d=1214178791
I'm no expert, so that's all I've got to say concerning your suggestions. Thanks.
My comments were directed toward several possible scenarios, not just the Kalitta crash, but it boils down to either get the cars stopped quicker, shorten the racing distance, or lengthen the track.
I also think if nitro Funny Cars had canard wings like ones Lew Arrington later installed on his car, so that they didn't instantly lose all downforce when the body came off, that might help too.
NHRA RELEASES INITIAL FINDINGS FROM TRAGEDY AT ENGLISHTOWN; ANNOUNCES INITIATIVES MOVING FORWARD
GLENDORA, Calif. (June 27, 2008) – While still conducting its investigation into the details of last week’s tragic accident that took the life of driver Scott Kalitta, NHRA announced today some of its initial findings and subsequent steps being taken to continue its efforts to make the sport safer.
The loss of Scott Kalitta, a passionate champion driver and devoted family man, still weighs heavy on the hearts of everyone at NHRA, as we reflect on his many accomplishments and pass along our deepest condolences to his wife Kathy, his sons Corey and Colin, his father Connie, his cousin Doug, the entire Kalitta family and team, and all those he left behind.
It has been determined that a tragic series of events took place that fateful afternoon. An engine explosion near the end of the run resulted in separating most of the car’s body from the chassis. The car’s parachutes did not blossom, and the vehicle continued down the right side of the shut down area at a high rate of speed. It went off the top end of the track, up into the right catch net pole, and hit the television camera boom beyond the end of the sand trap before coming to a rest.
This sequence of events resulted in the passing of the two-time world champion and veteran second-generation driver.
The New Jersey State Police investigation team was on site the same day, working with NHRA officials as both conducted their investigation. Once it becomes available, NHRA will analyze the State Police report for any additional information on the incident. NHRA also continued its own investigation by bringing mechanical engineer and accident reconstruction expert David McCandless, M.S. M.E., P.E., to the site. McCandless is an independent engineer with more than 15 years of experience in reconstructing vehicular accidents. McCandless worked with NHRA officials, members of the Kalitta race team, and officers from the New Jersey State Police accident investigation team on site. McCandless examined and analyzed the vehicle, the track and other data, and his investigation is still underway. The Delphi technical team and Ford recovered and are analyzing the “Blue Box” data recorder data and NHRA is using this data and analysis in its investigation.
After its preliminary investigation, NHRA identified several areas to analyze and determine whether changes should be made to build upon the sport’s long standing safety record, given the inherent risks and ever-present dangers associated with race cars traveling a quarter mile at more than 300 mph.
Technical Issues to be Investigated
· Engine failure. NHRA, working with the Kalitta race team, has examined the engine, and will work with the Kalitta team and other teams to analyze what might be done to reduce such incidents in the future.
· Parachute materials. Since the parachutes did not blossom, NHRA will work with parachute manufacturers and suppliers and SFI to analyze parachute mounting techniques and materials. Even though fire does not appear to have prevented the chutes from blossoming in this situation, NHRA also will work with manufacturers and suppliers to identify a parachute material that could be more fire resistant.
· Brakes. Research will be conducted to explore whether there is a way to increase brake efficiency when cars lose downforce due to the loss of the body. "
