An 18 year old member from M5board killed himself and 4 friends in Dads BMW M5 in accident at 3AM. Apparently they snuck onto an airstrip and drove off the 85 foot berm at the end of the strip by accident. The car flew 200 feet before hitting a tree. Three of the five got flown from the car, one 40 feet from where the car landed. More details in the links below.

My condolences go out to their families and friends. I couldn't imagine.

Source: M5board

http://www.ocala.com/article/2008012.../BREAKING_NEWS

http://www.ocala.com/article/2008012...55/1001/NEWS01

 

wow... even with seatbelts on, they were thrown from the car...

so sad...

 

Horrific - btw, I posted this in "off topic" yesterday.

 

don't give such a car to a 18 year old. very sad, stupid, and preventable.

 

That is just so sad....and crazy.

Im assuming that the car left the air where the police are standing up top?

 

So sad....I wonder how fast the car was travelling when it drove off the berm...

 

Given the size of that airstrip, they could've easily been 160+.

Very sad indeed...

 

On the airstrip we were LEGALLY on during our photo shoot, I had my M5 up to 150 mph and had PLENTY of time to turn off the taxi ramp prior to the end. Note: the airstrip I was on was about 1/2 the length at 4,700 ft...a little under 1 mile. The one they were on was about 7,900 ft.

More than likely they were topped out at 168 mph "limited" prior to hitting the breaks 2 seconds before the asphalt ended. That should be about 140 mph if you mash the breaks, adding the extra 1,000 lbs of People in the car...thats a 5,200 lb 4 door. Imagine pulling 2 sea doo's on a trailer and then mash the breaks and see how fast you slow down at 170 mph. It wouldn't be the same as if you were by yourself.

 

Very sad. My sympathies to all those affected.

 

Very sad. This should not have happened.
But at 18 with an M5 and an airstrip at my disposal, I may have been doing the same thing.

Sad.

 

Oh well. I've seen worse. Tried to brake and still flew that far?! Man, they had to be at least 150+

 

Five kids in an M5 at 3:30 in the morning after a party, running at high speed while trespassing on a private airstrip.


This thread is said to have been started by the driver Josh ("AmericanM5"):

http://www.m5board.com/vbulletin/sho...d.php?t=111454

Spooky tone in that thread.

 

Very sad story.

 

I agree with others, this car is too powerful for an 18 year old. The worst part is reading how many people told him to "Please be safe." He posted this a few hours before their accident, which was interesting. Again, condolences.

 

Irony huh?