BMW LAUNCHES OFF OF RUNWAY In the early morning hours, several young men entered a private runway in a 2008 BMW M5, and sped up to near 150mph. The runway is approximately 1 1/2 miles long, with the last 1/2 mile rising up so there's a 20 foot embankment at the runway's end. The driver of the BMW skid for over 200 feet before launching off the end of the runway embankment. The BMW hit a small oak tree at the fence just north of the runway property at 7 feet off the ground, completely uprooting the tree. The vehicle then continued into an empty lot, impacting a very large oak tree with it's passenger side roof.
Surveillance Picture
Sasso Engineering was engaged by the private airport to determine what happened. We documented the scene, surveyed the slope, and conducted skid tests. Utilizing the projectile motion formula, Mr. Sasso was able to determine the BMW's average airborne speed was 125mph. When he added the speed loss based on the length of skid marks, the vehicle was traveling close to 150mph on the runway!
These speed calculations were validated when we analyzed surveillance footage from a neighbor. (See Surveillance Picture)
The BMW driver needed over 1000 feet to stop due to his excessive speed. His high performance Xenon headlights only illuminate 450 feet. The runway lights that mark the entire edge of the runway were turned off. (They are activated by incoming/outgoing planes) By the time the driver could visually see the end of the runway (most likely the reflective cover of the marker lights), there was not enough distance to avoid an accident. (Click on the link at the right for the animated Driver's View)
Animated Driver's View
Even though surveillance video has been around for many years, it is being utilized more in accident reconstruction. Along with many buildings which have surveillance cameras, many vehicles are now equipped with dash cams, such as law enforcement and emergency vehicles. Many commercial fleets have systems that not only capture video, but also GPS, speed, and braking decelerations.
Also of note, as of MY2013, most cars (including BMWs) are now equipped with electronic data recorders that can be downloaded in the event of an air bag deployment. An EDR download can capture up to 5 seconds of data (speed, etc.) prior to the impact.
Sasso Engineering has the expertise to utilize these information sources in formulating an accurate and complete accident reconstruction.
