Speedboat that flipped midair in 200 mph crash wins race on Arizona lake
Speedboat that flipped midair in 200 mph crash wins race on Arizona lake
A speedboat went airborne and did a complete backward flip while racing at about 200 mph before crashing into Lake Havasu.
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Admittedly, I don't know much about modern speedboats, but the full flip probably saved their lives. In the old days, flipping onto your head at damn near 200 mph was certain death.
Yea that flip and rotation definitely saved them, you can see in the video they slow down drastically in the air while the top of the boat was pointing mostly forward, although they likely also experienced some drastic gforce changes as it happened.
Yeah, I was gonna say, did the pilot live?
Good number of hydroplane/powerboat deaths/maimings over the years...
Both lived and were not seriously injured.
And that is what I would describe as the only kind of miracle I believe can actually happen.
Roughly on par with 'bailed out of an airplane, crashed through some trees, landed in a snowbank, only suffered a few fractures and actually lived.'
Something like that happened a few times in WW2.
These guys wore safety gear and were strapped in. Read tha article
He described the relief of seeing both people on board the boat pop open the hatch. “Oh my gosh, it’s just a miracle,” Ticknor said.
Ticknor being the event organizer.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=sSl2846EPl4
The pilots suffered multiple fractures, including a broken knee.
I'd call a broken knee alone a serious injury...
Had their injuries been more serious, they may have been unable to escape the sinking boat.
Had the boat landed in a different orientation, or done a different, completely undpredictable, uncontrolled aerial manuever, such that it impacted the water with more speed, the boat could have broken apart on landing or become structurally comprised much more seriously, and thus the pilots would be sinking much more rapidly, likely with more serious injuries.
Though this boat and its safety cage performed admirably in terms of structural stability... similar crashes to this have maimed and killed a good number of folks in the history of hydroplane/powerboat events.