(no subject)
Darwin Award of the Day:
Darwin Award: JATO
1995 darwin award winner
debunked by darwin
The Arizona Highway Police Patrol were mystified when they came upon a pile of smoldering wreckage embedded in the side of a cliff rising above the road at the apex of a curve. The metal debris resembled the site of an airplane crash, but it turned out to be the vaporized remains of an automobile. The make of the vehicle was unidentifieable at the scene.
The folks in the lab finally figured out what it was, and peiced together the events that led up to its demise.
It seems that a former Air Force sergeant had somehow got hold of a Jet-Assisted Take-Off unit. JATO units are solid-fuel rockets used to give heavy military transport airplanes an extra push for takeoff from short airfields.
Dried desert lake beds are the location of choice for breaking the world ground vehicle speed record. The sergeant took the JATO unit to the Arizona desert and found a long, straight strecth of road. He attached the JATO unit to his car, jumped in, accelerated to a high speed, and fired off the rocket.
The facts, as best to be determined, are as follows: The opereator was driving a 1967 Chevy Impala. He ignited the JATO unit approxiametly 3.9 miles from the crash site. This established by the location of a prominentlyl scorched and melted strip of asphalt. The vehicle quickly reached a speed of between 250 and 300 miles per hour and continued at that speed, under full power, for an additional twenty to twenty-five seconds. Teh soon-to-be pilot experienced G-forces usually reserved for dogfighting F-14 jocks under full afterburners.
The Chevy remained on the straight highway for approximetly 2.6 miles (15-20 seconds) before the driver applied the brakes, completly melting them down, blowing the tires, and leaving thick rubber marks on the road surface. The vehicle then became airborne for an additional 1.3 miles, impacted the cliff face at a hieght of 125 feet, and left a blackened crater 3 feet deep in the rock.
Most of the driver's remains were not discovered; however, small fragments of bone, teeth, and hair were extracted from the crater, and fingernail and bone shards were removed from a peice of debris believed to be a porti on of the steering wheel.
Ironically, a still-legible bumper sticker was found: "How do you like my driving? Dial 1-800-EAT-SHIT."
Darwin Award: JATO
1995 darwin award winner
debunked by darwin
The Arizona Highway Police Patrol were mystified when they came upon a pile of smoldering wreckage embedded in the side of a cliff rising above the road at the apex of a curve. The metal debris resembled the site of an airplane crash, but it turned out to be the vaporized remains of an automobile. The make of the vehicle was unidentifieable at the scene.
The folks in the lab finally figured out what it was, and peiced together the events that led up to its demise.
It seems that a former Air Force sergeant had somehow got hold of a Jet-Assisted Take-Off unit. JATO units are solid-fuel rockets used to give heavy military transport airplanes an extra push for takeoff from short airfields.
Dried desert lake beds are the location of choice for breaking the world ground vehicle speed record. The sergeant took the JATO unit to the Arizona desert and found a long, straight strecth of road. He attached the JATO unit to his car, jumped in, accelerated to a high speed, and fired off the rocket.
The facts, as best to be determined, are as follows: The opereator was driving a 1967 Chevy Impala. He ignited the JATO unit approxiametly 3.9 miles from the crash site. This established by the location of a prominentlyl scorched and melted strip of asphalt. The vehicle quickly reached a speed of between 250 and 300 miles per hour and continued at that speed, under full power, for an additional twenty to twenty-five seconds. Teh soon-to-be pilot experienced G-forces usually reserved for dogfighting F-14 jocks under full afterburners.
The Chevy remained on the straight highway for approximetly 2.6 miles (15-20 seconds) before the driver applied the brakes, completly melting them down, blowing the tires, and leaving thick rubber marks on the road surface. The vehicle then became airborne for an additional 1.3 miles, impacted the cliff face at a hieght of 125 feet, and left a blackened crater 3 feet deep in the rock.
Most of the driver's remains were not discovered; however, small fragments of bone, teeth, and hair were extracted from the crater, and fingernail and bone shards were removed from a peice of debris believed to be a porti on of the steering wheel.
Ironically, a still-legible bumper sticker was found: "How do you like my driving? Dial 1-800-EAT-SHIT."