Looks like they tried to do things safely and responsibly, but failed completely. Crazy.



Two men in their 70s killed in crash while speed-testing sports car on Buena Vista runway


Two septuagenarian friends speed-testing a sky blue Dodge Challenger Hellcat at the Central Colorado Regional Airport in Buena Vista were killed after rocketing off the end of a runway and sailing across a ravine, authorities said Sunday night.

The men had permission to use the runway, Chaffee County Sheriff John Spezze said. And they likely were moving faster than 100 miles per hour.

The 2016 Challenger Hellcat driven southbound down the runway Friday by Lynd Fitzgerald, age 71, of Colorado Springs, with Roger Lichtenberger, 76, of San Marcos, Calif., in the passenger seat kept moving off the runway for another 314 feet, sheriff’s investigators found.

Then it went through the air over a ravine before hitting the ground. The car bounced back into the air again, flipped end over end over a second ravine, and landed on its wheels, the investigators determined.

Chaffee County Sheriff’s deputies, Buena Vista police and Colorado State Patrol troopers raced to the scene. They found the wrecked car 650 feet beyond the south end of the runway. They tried to give the men first aid.

Both were pronounced dead at the scene.

Chaffee County deputies investigated with help from the state patrol.

“They were just test-driving this car. They went a little too fast. I don’t want to surmise. … They probably got to the end of the runway and, at that speed, didn’t realize they were there so fast. And they lost control. It was just too high a speed and they got to the end of the runway,” Spezze said.

Monday morning Spezze said investigators found skid marks near the end of the runway. He did not know the length of the marks.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said Sunday. “They had permission to be there. There were no laws broken.”


http://www.denverpost.com/2017...s-car-runway-killed/

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmanic:

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said Sunday. “They had permission to be there. There were no laws broken.”

...including the laws of physics.

You'd think that they would've had a point of no return marked or staked out indicating where they needed to start braking at a certain speed. Just goes to show I guess that age doesn't always equal wisdom.

Were their names Thelma and Louise by chance?

They couldn't find an empty straight stretch of Interstate highway?

Too late now for them, but I-8 in Arizona is a good choice.

Sometimes stupid hurts, really, really bad.

Reminds me of the two men on Secondhand Lions. When they died trying to fly their plane upside down thru the barn.

And the Sherriff told the boy they died with their boots on. I know it is a movie but still there is a similarity.

quote:

Originally posted by ontmark:
Reminds me of the two men on Secondhand Lions. When they died trying to fly their plane upside down thru the barn.

And the Sherriff told the boy they died with their boots on. I know it is a movie but still there is a similarity.

My first thought as well (Excellent movie by the way).

That's a shame. Sorry they lost their lives

Yeah, a little more planning would have been good. Whoops. Not a mistake that they'll make twice.

quote:

Originally posted by GaryBF:
Were their names Thelma and Louise by chance?

Thad and Louis?

You would think they would have driven the runway lenght doing a hazard check and make a note of where to cease with the loud pedal.

quote:

Originally posted by Balzé Halzé:

quote:

Originally posted by Sigmanic:

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said Sunday. “They had permission to be there. There were no laws broken.”

...including the laws of physics.

You'd think that they would've had a point of no return marked or staked out indicating where they needed to start braking at a certain speed. Just goes to show I guess that age doesn't always equal wisdom.

I'd of thought that guys who were given permission to use a runway in such a fashion would have had some basic knowledge of runway markings or lighting, so they'd at least know when the end were near.

This was in the comments. FWIW:

'This article is another example of how The Post can't even get the simplest of facts correct. THERE IS NO BUENA VISTA REGIONAL AIRPORT!!! It is called "Central Colorado Regional Airport." It seems The Post can no longer afford editors to fact check and has hired a bunch of monkeys to sit behind computer keyboards.'

Given this, you guys might want to fact-check the article.

This is from a Denver TV station. I think the story is legit despite the screwed up details and airport name.


http://www.9news.com/news/two-...rive-crash/473212677

Another bit of relevant data is that this airport is at about 8,000 feet in elevation. That would result in considerable loss of power, even for a Hellcat, resulting in a need for more distance to reach a desired speed. Seems like their chosen drag strip could have been more thought out and executed. Such a needless accident.

quote:

Originally posted by ontmark:
Reminds me of the two men on Secondhand Lions. When they died trying to fly their plane upside down thru the barn.

And the Sherriff told the boy they died with their boots on. I know it is a movie but still there is a similarity.

My first thought as well.

I will bet dollars to donuts this is exactly it.

At least they did not hurt anyone else.

"Central Colorado regional unicom and traffic, you've got a blue hellcat departing 15 closed traffic, central colorado regional"

Beats dying in bed with a colostomy bag I guess.

quote:

Originally posted by GWbiker:
They couldn't find an empty straight stretch of Interstate highway?

Too late now for them, but I-8 in Arizona is a good choice.

air strips are incredibly fun to race on. We do events at them all over the state. There is always a marked braking zone, and a "you're basically fucked" mark.

we once raced a PJ in a GT2rs.. the PJ was.... 50' off the deck. FAA wasn't happy about that one. We weren't invited back

They just sailed right out there.