Is This Even Possible: Michael Hastings MB C250 Crash

[EricSilver]

You are driving along in a new Mercedes C250 at a fairly high speed, hit a tree sideways, the car bursts into flames and the engine, transmission and drive shaft are thrown 200 feet.

Sounds a bit fantastic to me.


Michael Hastings contacted Wikileaks lawyer hours before death claiming FBI were investigating him - Hastings Turns A Mercedes C250 Into A “Bomb” - 12160

[spdrun]

He was a bit paranoid as well as a thorn in the govt's side. Wonder if he was hounded/threatened/scared into driving fast and killing himself. Sad story, man died far too young.

[EricSilver]

Originally Posted by spdrun

He was a bit paranoid as well as a thorn in the govt's side. Wonder if he was hounded/threatened/scared into driving fast and killing himself. Sad story, man died far too young.

I was once told that some Germans would drive their cars at high speed into the Berlin Wall to commit suicide. The ones that failed were driving Benzes.

I can accept a fiery crash (or just a plain old fire if you are in a Ferrari) but an entire drivetrain being thrown out of the car? That is hard to swallow.

[tbomachines]

I've seen cars split in half when they hit a pole like that (and actually seen folks walk away from it!). To eject the power train completely and cleanly is strange though I have to admit.

[engatwork]

The sloppiness of the Michael Hastings assassination was deliberate. The government, the Pentagon and the CIA are interested in sending a message, the same message sent by Hitler, Stalin, Mao and dozens of other dictators – go up against the government, deviate from unwritten parameters, and you may be assassinated.

This was in one of the right ups attached to the article.

After a little more looking around came up with this:

DHS

I guess these guys are going to be the equivalent of Hitler's SS.

This song needs to replace the star spangled banner song for the US.

country joe

We love to fight.

[Can't Know]

Originally Posted by tbomachines

I've seen cars split in half when they hit a pole like that (and actually seen folks walk away from it!). To eject the power train completely and cleanly is strange though I have to admit.

Not if you understand physics. Once the car's basic structure is undermined -- as in hitting a tree sideways at a high rate of speed -- those big pieces can and do separate and they can also travel quite a ways. Loss of structural integrity + big mass + intertia = get out of the way.

Back in the olden days (after the advent of rubber-cushioning motor mounts, but before things like safety/restraining motor mounts came along) it was not unheard of that after the motor mounts had failed, one could launch the engine and transmission into the radiator, smashing it with the grille into the front bumper...simply from a panic stop. And in the event of an accident from even a moderate rate of speed, they could end up in the street pretty easily. Obviously things have improved quite a lot, but you still can't overcome the laws of physics.

[tbomachines]

Originally Posted by Can't Know

Not if you understand physics. Once the car's basic structure is undermined -- as in hitting a tree sideways at a high rate of speed -- those big pieces can and do separate and they can also travel quite a ways. Loss of structural integrity + big mass + intertia = get out of the way.

Back in the olden days (after the advent of rubber-cushioning motor mounts, but before things like safety/restraining motor mounts came along) it was not unheard of that after the motor mounts had failed, one could launch the engine and transmission into the radiator, smashing it with the grille into the front bumper...simply from a panic stop. And in the event of an accident from even a moderate rate of speed, they could end up in the street pretty easily. Obviously things have improved quite a lot, but you still can't overcome the laws of physics.

I do get that, I think maybe the lack of other pieces around it makes it just look odd in the pictures. Its not the fact that it happened for me, its the cleanliness of that assembly sitting there all alone. After all, crush zones are meant to crumple rather than stretch as they would in a wraparound like that, think this might happen more and more as cars get smaller, lighter and emphasize cabin cages (like the smart) with crumple zones.

My guess is the guy was freaking out and either killed himself or may have been under some influence. Purely speculation though.

[Hatterasguy]

Interesting, John Noveske was killed in a strange car crash as well...

John Noveske Killed in Car Accident | The Truth About GunsThe Truth About Guns

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by tbomachines

I've seen cars split in half when they hit a pole like that (and actually seen folks walk away from it!). To eject the power train completely and cleanly is strange though I have to admit.

The powertrain isn't secured to the body with anything more than a few socket head cap screws. And, between the body and the engine you'll find rubber.

Therefore, in a high speed crash, over 100 mph into a pole, the massive forces involved can easily shear the mounts between the drivetrain and the body.............and the drivetrain continues onward in its original direction toward the original destination, where the body remains firmly in front of the tree.

If you want to make the argument that a bomb lifted the entire drivetrain out of the vehicle and deposited it 200 feet down the road, the force required for that would leave absolutely nothing at the point of the explosion other than a crater in the ground. For evidence of this type of bomb, reference the Oklahoma city bomb where pieces of the drivetrain were found several blocks away and virtually no part of the vehicle was left at the point of the explosion.

[tbomachines]

Originally Posted by Brian Carlton

The powertrain isn't secured to the body with anything more than a few socket head cap screws. And, between the body and the engine you'll find rubber.

Therefore, in a high speed crash, over 100 mph into a pole, the massive forces involved can easily shear the mounts between the drivetrain and the body.............and the drivetrain continues onward in its original direction toward the original destination, where the body remains firmly in front of the tree.

If you want to make the argument that a bomb lifted the entire drivetrain out of the vehicle and deposited it 200 feet down the road, the force required for that would leave absolutely nothing at the point of the explosion other than a crater in the ground. For evidence of this type of bomb, reference the Oklahoma city bomb where pieces of the drivetrain were found several blocks away and virtually no part of the vehicle was left at the point of the explosion.

Still has to blow through quite a bit of bodywork to get there. I'm not trying to argue anything, I'm simply saying it looks odd sitting all by its lonesome self. The forces involved in accidents like this are always staggering

[Brian Carlton]

Originally Posted by tbomachines

Still has to blow through quite a bit of bodywork to get there. I'm not trying to argue anything, I'm simply saying it looks odd sitting all by its lonesome self. The forces involved in accidents like this are always staggering

You got the radiator, condenser, and grille. Not much resistance for something that weighs about 800 lb. moving at 100 mph.

My only question is how it avoided the collision with the tree as it was coming out of there.

[Can't Know]

Originally Posted by tbomachines

Still has to blow through quite a bit of bodywork to get there. I'm not trying to argue anything, I'm simply saying it looks odd sitting all by its lonesome self. The forces involved in accidents like this are always staggering

The bodywork is nothing, just a relatively thin decorative cover. How tough is a concrete construction block? A two by four can punch right through that when propelled by hurricane or tornado winds.

[t walgamuth]

The engine and transmission are made to break free so they can slide under the car. If they remained attached to the car in a side impact it would cause the car to deform more and do more damage to the occupants.

[tbomachines]

BRB, let me get my foil helmet.

[Txjake]

They guy was a prick for what he did to McChrystal and I won't miss him, but something about this smells funny