Oh, my god, that is just horrendous. My sympathies to the family.
After the shock at such an incredible event, my mind goes to "how to
automatically shut down a vehicle as soon as it is upside down". A
negative-vertical-g-detecting-only accelerometer near the rear axle?
But how many vertical G's would be involved in a "slightly" abnormal run
with a bit of bouncing, vibration, etc.? So some filtering, lower
limit/threshold testing, etc., seems likely necessary. Or maybe the
auto manufacturers have this sorted out already, since some cars (Ford
sticks in my mind, but maybe most cars now with electric fuel pumps)
have such shutoffs, albeit not subject to the same environment has a
large-bore fuel dragster.
What a sad event.
Benn
----- Original Message -----
From: "Chris Pile" <hoxiepoo@cox.net>
To: "Land Speed Digest" <land-speed@autox.team.net>
Sent: Wednesday, April 06, 2005 2:38 PM
Subject: Shelly Howard's Crash
> As usual, the NHRA never tells the full story - especially when
it's a bad
> story. Maybe you've read some of the online stories about what
happened. The
> following is from a fellow who was at the race, and the details are
chilling
> as well as puzzling. We'll never know exactly what caused this
accident that
> killed Shelly and her son. Let's hope it never happens
again...............
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