Horrible Accident by John Travolta's Home

[deanws]

I do feel sorry for the families. However, I bet they will end up trying to sue the owners of the air strip because it wasn't secure enough. If they do this, my sympathies will dry up. I hope I am wrong, but I wouldn't bet on it. Why are kids sooooo stupid? So many think they are invincible. A very sad story indeed. Also, he was driving his father's $80,000 BMW like this!?!? What WAS he thinking?

 

[CarpeDiem]

But why was their car airborne for 200 ft? not that i don't sympathise with the families. i do. i ask, though, how people could be so careless of those families to take such risks. yes. call me a cold hearted b*tch. i'm angry they threw their lives away. pathetic.

if it turns out the car was at fault, i take it back.

Considering it was after 3 in the morning and alcohol was involved, I'm doubting the car was at fault. Way too young to die, the best year's of their lives hadn't even come yet.

 

[Taximom]

But why was their car airborne for 200 ft? not that i don't sympathise with the families. i do. i ask, though, how people could be so careless of those families to take such risks. yes. call me a cold hearted b*tch. i'm angry they threw their lives away. pathetic.

if it turns out the car was at fault, i take it back.

That seems like a long distance to me too, but I think they were going at an excessive speed. The end of the runway is not marked, so I'm guessing he wasn't able to decrease that speed much by the time he realized what was happening. The runway is 1.5 miles long. It hits 60 mph in 4.8 seconds. One forum poster thinks they must have been going 160mph in order to go that distance.

The car is advertised as "a race car for 4" according to an askmen.com auto review. (500 hp!)

Sadly, I think it was all the driver's fault.

 

[Taximom]

I hope their parents were all good friends, otherwise I see a few wrongful death lawsuits going on here. Or they try suing the airport for lousy security.

 

[Taximom]

Someone at mustangworld posted this google view of the runway. I wonder too what would have happened if the tree(s) hadn't been there. There was a home located not far from those trees. (Which I think is a real dumb place to locate a home, btw!)

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=jumbo...,-82.11953&spn=0.00684,0.009956&t=h&z=17&om=0

 

[ceeaura]

That seems like a long distance to me too, but I think they were going at an excessive speed. The end of the runway is not marked, so I'm guessing he wasn't able to decrease that speed much by the time he realized what was happening. The runway is 1.5 miles long. It hits 60 mph in 4.8 seconds. One forum poster thinks they must have been going 160mph in order to go that distance.

The car is advertised as "a race car for 4" according to an askmen.com auto review. (500 hp!)

Sadly, I think it was all the driver's fault.

I agree Taximom The only thing else that popped into my head is that maybe a game of chicken of sorts was going on.You know like the driver thought he would be able to stop in time,give the guys a good scare , Or trying to do like a stunt and stop in time. There really is no way of knowing.Alcohol :banghead: When are people ever going to learn?:banghead:

 

[JinxieJada]

However, I bet they will end up trying to sue the owners of the air strip because it wasn't secure enough.

I'm a bit confused myself on how they gained access to the strip? Where they residents of JumboLair Estates Themselves? It's a frigging gated community - maybe they operate differently down in florida, but I know the ones by where we used to live, if you didn't have someone expecting you, OR security didn't know you, you didn't make it into the "main gate" area let alone INTO the community......
:waitasec:

IF security really is that lax-then they do need to "step it up a notch"- Next thing we'll be hearing is someone broke in and planejacked/stole one of those planes that are oh so conviently sitting in someone's driveway.

On another note though - Has anyone actually checked out the website for jumbolair and read through the requirements for building? NO thank you - sooooo many restrictions LOL!

 

[Amraann]

I'm a bit confused myself on how they gained access to the strip? Where they residents of JumboLair Estates Themselves? It's a frigging gated community - maybe they operate differently down in florida, but I know the ones by where we used to live, if you didn't have someone expecting you, OR security didn't know you, you didn't make it into the "main gate" area let alone INTO the community......
:waitasec:

IF security really is that lax-then they do need to "step it up a notch"- Next thing we'll be hearing is someone broke in and planejacked/stole one of those planes that are oh so conviently sitting in someone's driveway.

On another note though - Has anyone actually checked out the website for jumbolair and read through the requirements for building? NO thank you - sooooo many restrictions LOL!

Some are strict like that ... But most gated communities have a walk through gate that is not locked.

 

[JinxieJada]

Some are strict like that ... But most gated communities have a walk through gate that is not locked.

Like literally "walk" through? Ok, I can semi understand that one, but then how the heck they'd get a car through there? Or am I misunderstanding? lol baby had me up all night so things are foggy this morning heh

 

[Amraann]

Like literally "walk" through? Ok, I can semi understand that one, but then how the heck they'd get a car through there? Or am I misunderstanding? lol baby had me up all night so things are foggy this morning heh

Another thought is that teenagers probably give the gate code to their friends.
Its most likely common knowledge and often gated communities do not have guards on duty at night.

 

[JinxieJada]

Another thought is that teenagers probably give the gate code to their friends.
Its most likely common knowledge and often gated communities do not have guards on duty at night.

ahhhhh! Ok thanks Amraann! The two that I'm familiar w/ are different - which is where i was basing my questions off of. IF you were a resident and/or frequent visitor w/ "clearnace" (not really in the sense of clearance, but hopefully someone understands the meaning I am trying to get across) You're vehicles had to be registered by plate number. A security code was issued that was unique for each address that way entries and exits could be tracked accordingly.

You had to be "voted in" so to speak in order to even be able to purchase a home in the community, they had their own "Mini" police force, shops on site w/i in the community etc.

Thanks for clarifying, so JumboLair sounds like maybe it isn't a "gated" community in the sense that I'm thinking, but more of a "special" one based on the perks. Again, thank you for helping me understand - I appreciate it! :blowkiss:

 

[Floh]

It is a proper gated community with security guards at the entrance.


http://www.jumbolair.com/Aviation Estates.htm

 

[Dr. Doogie]

I did not know that Travolta had a place in Ocala..
I use to live near there...

My question would be WHY?????
I hated Ocala.

It is not far from Clearwater - headquarters for the Church of Scientology. That would be my best guess.

 

[JanetElaine]

I read around on that M5 board a bit and it seems like it is common practice among at least those car owners to organize meets at air strips to 'put the pedal to the metal'. Driver Josh had actually posted an two threads saying he was game for meet-ups at some other airstrip in Fla., in response to another poster saying if there were enough people interested he'd want to organize meets there. Now I'm not neccessarily wondering if there was a meet-up going on here (I doubt it highly), but I think he might have been 'practicing' or just following through in what is seemingly the tradition of racing these cars on airstrips.

 

[FlowerChild]

It is not far from Clearwater - headquarters for the Church of Scientology. That would be my best guess.

The place where he lives is one of the FEW places in the USA where he can keep and FLY his big airliner sized private JET from private property. He literally has his big ol jet parked out back of his HOUSE - along with his smaller planes. Most places you have to go TO the airstrip to get your plane and take off from there. Where he is, he can just walk out the door and start packing his plane up and leave whenever he gets done, straight from his house. It has nothing to do with Scientology, more to do with his being obsessed with having a jetliner of his own and being able to keep IT, his travels in IT (and his other planes) private. It's also not a place where paparazzi can hang out - or WANT to hang out. It's very private and there is NOTHING else out there to speak of.

Whatever floats his boat..I saw pics of the house and grounds in AD and other mags and having your jet as "yard art" did not do much for ME, but to each their own I guess. He designed the house to "feature" the JET in the design??? It's kinda goofy if you ask me....

My Opinion

 

[crypto6]

That seems like a long distance to me too, but I think they were going at an excessive speed. The end of the runway is not marked, so I'm guessing he wasn't able to decrease that speed much by the time he realized what was happening. The runway is 1.5 miles long. It hits 60 mph in 4.8 seconds. One forum poster thinks they must have been going 160mph in order to go that distance.

The car is advertised as "a race car for 4" according to an askmen.com auto review. (500 hp!)

Sadly, I think it was all the driver's fault.

Interestingly, a lot of owners compain about the rough shifting; a friend traded one because of it. I have enough trouble racing tracks in the daytime! (VIR, Road Atlanta, Roebling Road) A little hillock can hide what's beyond. It would be interesting if the strip had an up gradient toward the end he crashed from.

This is classic and tragic: The 18 year old brain, which doesn't forsee consequences very well (girls have it too), mixed with ETOH.

I'll bet it turns out he took the car without permission or under some vanilla pretense.

He's 18 and if he took it without permission, a good lawyer could possibly convince a jury he stole it and there goes the Dad's liability. This will be interesting legally.

Crypto6

 

[crypto6]

I read around on that M5 board a bit and it seems like it is common practice among at least those car owners to organize meets at air strips to 'put the pedal to the metal'. Driver Josh had actually posted an two threads saying he was game for meet-ups at some other airstrip in Fla., in response to another poster saying if there were enough people interested he'd want to organize meets there. Now I'm not neccessarily wondering if there was a meet-up going on here (I doubt it highly), but I think he might have been 'practicing' or just following through in what is seemingly the tradition of racing these cars on airstrips.

Interesting pickup on these cars, supposedly targeted to the wealthy. Who wants to drag race his 80+K sedan with a rev limiter? (The car is supposed to be electronically restricted to 155 mph, a strange marketing practice for cars with the potential of 185 mph.) Apparently a lot of people!

Even so, this car, loaded with people, would be a bear to handle at speed, even in the daylight, more so if the chip had been changed to bypass the speed limiter. With 600-1000 lbs added to the 4000 lb weight, stopping distance would be severely compromised as would handling.

If kids and young adults want speed, send them to a racing/driving school to teach them respect for what that speed can do.

Crypto6

 

[grace60]

Anyone with teens who like to drive fast may want to have them watch the clip of the FHP officer describing the accident and the fire dept walking around figuring out how to clean up the broken car. Describes very clearly what happened. Nothing graphic except a mangled dark car. Greystone Fatal Crash.

http://www.ocala.com/apps/pbcs.dll/...id=301941310&bclid=533258412&bctid=1392485027

 

[Taximom]

Report says car was going AT LEAST 120mph on runway
http://www.cfnews13.com/News/Local/2008/2/4/fhp_driver_in_deadly_ocala_crash_was_going_120mph.html

 

[hipmamajen]

I just keep thinking about this. Don't get me wrong, I was dumb as a kid, but I think this goes beyond normal immaturity.

They had to know what they were doing was extraordinarily dangerous, right? I mean, if all 18 year olds were like this, no one would live to be 19.

Is anyone else bugged by the smirk the driver is wearing in the photo they show of him? That's the sort of look that I would have gotten in trouble for, yikes!