- May 14, 2001
- 5,780
- 266
- 136
Darwin Awards
The Darwin Awards are given (posthumously) to those who do the human race the greatest favor by removing themselves
from the gene-pool in the most dramatic or bizarre fashion possible.
Rocket Powered Impala,
The Arizona Highway Patrol came upon a pile of smoldering metal embedded in the side of a cliff rising above the
desert floor, some distance beyond the apex of a long, gentle curve in the highway. The wreckage resembled that of
an airplane crash, but was obviously an automobile of unidentifiable make and model.
A state lab managed to figure out the story. The wreckage was that of a Chevrolet Impala and it seems the driver had
somehow obtained a JATO (Jet Assisted Take Off) unit. A JATO unit is actually a solid fuel rocket which is attached
to the sides of large military transport aircraft to give them an extra "push" during take-off from short airfields,
or when heavily loaded (they're about five-feet long and three inches in diameter, and was probably abtained from
the Air Force "boneyard" outside Tuscon).
The presumed owner of the Impala drove out to the desert and found a long, straight stretch of road. He then
attached the JATO unit to his car, jumped in, got up a little speed, and ignited the rocket. The Arizona Highway
Patrol calculates that he fired the rocket about three miles from the point of impact - as evidenced by an area of
scorched and melted asphalt.
Reaching maximum thrust within 5-seconds and remaining at full power for 20-25 seconds, the Chevy Impala is
estimated to have reached speeds well in excess of 350 mph. The driver, soon to be pilot, would have experienced
G-forces usually reserved for dog-fighting F-15 pilots using full afterburners - essentially rendering him
insignificant for the remainder of the event.
The Impala remained on the highway for about 2.5 miles (15-20 seconds) before the driver attempted to apply the
brakes, completely melting them, blowing the tires, and leaving thick rubber and gouge marks on the road surface. It
is at this point in the ride that the vehicle is thought to have rotated for take-off and become airborne.
The Impala remained airborne for for an additional 1.4 miles, impacting the cliff-face at a height of 125-feet,
leaving a three-foot deep black crater in the rock. Most of the driver's remains were not recoverable; however,
small fragments of bone and teeth were extracted from the crater and fingernail shards were found embedded in a
piece of debris believed to have been part of the steering wheel. It just proves once again - speed doesn't kill,
stopping does?.
The Darwin Awards are given (posthumously) to those who do the human race the greatest favor by removing themselves
from the gene-pool in the most dramatic or bizarre fashion possible.
Rocket Powered Impala,
The Arizona Highway Patrol came upon a pile of smoldering metal embedded in the side of a cliff rising above the
desert floor, some distance beyond the apex of a long, gentle curve in the highway. The wreckage resembled that of
an airplane crash, but was obviously an automobile of unidentifiable make and model.
A state lab managed to figure out the story. The wreckage was that of a Chevrolet Impala and it seems the driver had
somehow obtained a JATO (Jet Assisted Take Off) unit. A JATO unit is actually a solid fuel rocket which is attached
to the sides of large military transport aircraft to give them an extra "push" during take-off from short airfields,
or when heavily loaded (they're about five-feet long and three inches in diameter, and was probably abtained from
the Air Force "boneyard" outside Tuscon).
The presumed owner of the Impala drove out to the desert and found a long, straight stretch of road. He then
attached the JATO unit to his car, jumped in, got up a little speed, and ignited the rocket. The Arizona Highway
Patrol calculates that he fired the rocket about three miles from the point of impact - as evidenced by an area of
scorched and melted asphalt.
Reaching maximum thrust within 5-seconds and remaining at full power for 20-25 seconds, the Chevy Impala is
estimated to have reached speeds well in excess of 350 mph. The driver, soon to be pilot, would have experienced
G-forces usually reserved for dog-fighting F-15 pilots using full afterburners - essentially rendering him
insignificant for the remainder of the event.
The Impala remained on the highway for about 2.5 miles (15-20 seconds) before the driver attempted to apply the
brakes, completely melting them, blowing the tires, and leaving thick rubber and gouge marks on the road surface. It
is at this point in the ride that the vehicle is thought to have rotated for take-off and become airborne.
The Impala remained airborne for for an additional 1.4 miles, impacting the cliff-face at a height of 125-feet,
leaving a three-foot deep black crater in the rock. Most of the driver's remains were not recoverable; however,
small fragments of bone and teeth were extracted from the crater and fingernail shards were found embedded in a
piece of debris believed to have been part of the steering wheel. It just proves once again - speed doesn't kill,
stopping does?.
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