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Perfectly Timed Moments When It All Went Wrong
From Pilots ejecting out of fighter jets to 330mph dragster getting airborne. Enjoy this gallery of those times when everything just goes completely wrong.
Deadweight
You could say they probably overloaded this cargo freighter a bit over capacity. Someone’s going to spend a lot of time cleaning that up.
F-16 Falcon pilot ejecting in 1982
It’s hard to fathom the adrenaline pumping through your body when you eject from a high speed jet, but looking at just one frame from this image, it’s clearly a blast.
180º Slide
At this moment, Williams F1’s Felipe Massa knew he had messed up. Luckily, the designs of these racecars protect the driver to some capacity, but flipping in open-wheel is never good.
Plane Surfing
Red Bull athletes are next level, and always pushing limits no matter how crazy a proposition their stunts may sound. This aero-surfing maneuver featuring another plane upside down offering support is something else.
Airboat Down
The terrifying part of an airboat submerging is that most of the time they’re used in swamps and bayous, which means some questionable critters could definitely be lurking. The lady’s face says it all.
Swamp Bug Racing
You’ve heard of dune buggies, and this is the next revolutionary sub-sport featuring airboats! You can imagine the visibility makes the racing all that more fun, but clearly flipping isn’t out of the question.
James Dean’s Porche
Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder was in a colossal wreck, and the mangled aftermath shows just how malleable cars really are at high speeds. There’s no repairing that.
Drift Creativity
Famous stunt car driver Ken Block got fancy in his promo for Gymhana, as he drifted his rally car right under a propped up digger. While this is a great shot, the cameraman in the truck probably got an even better one.
Suspension Failure
This suspension failure for the Caterham team turned out to be a costly one, as these F1 cars risk falling apart when the slightest mechanical issue becomes detrimental. Now it’s serving as a half-decent lawn mower.
Ferrari In the Pond
One place you probably don’t want to park your Ferrari is off the ledge of the road and submerged in a pond. As onlookers look on in entertainment, the driver seems to be calling for assistance.
How Much Closer Can You Get?!
Jet Skis can be a thrill to ride on the open water, but be careful, because one bad wake can send you soaring, and not always in a good way. This guy seems to have caught a bad break, and is literally skimming his face on the water. Either that, or he’s really good at flips.
Elephant Nap
The thing about drive-through safaris that are simultaneously awesome and sketchy is that the animals can just come up to your car. And while most assume they want to eat you, some, like this elephant, just want a nice pillow to nap on.
Michael Schumacher’s Mercedes crash in 2013
F1 is a sport of inches, and when the slightest thing goes wrong, you can end up finding yourself in trouble very fast. In this particular Schumacher crash, the loss of his front end and running over debris essentially led to the car falling apart.
A Little Too Much Wave Running
You need some good wake to enjoy a trip on your waverunner to the fullest, but catch the wrong one at too high of speed and you’ll end up taking flight, just like our friend here. Hope the vehicle is okay..
Airborne Mayo
Nascar race cars may have roof flaps to help prevent them from catching air, but at Daytona, all bets are off at over 200 mph. This car got spun at just the wrong angle to be forced to take a ride.
The Costa Concordia
Off the coast of Tuscany in 2012, a cruise liner ran into a rock, causing it to capsize and forcing all the passengers to evacuate. The captain ended up being at fault, and he’ll never live this one down.
Balmoral Takes on 50ft Waves
People often assume that taking intercontinental cruises that navigate through smaller waters and rivers would be safer, but tell that to the Balmoral, who had to deal with waves that could have reached 5 story buildings. To say this is scary is an understatement.
Rallycross Levitation
Rally cars are some of the most exciting to watch, partly because they are so speedy and partly because the courses they race on are extremely compelling. One wrong bump or mis-turn though, and over the top you go, just as this driver found out.
Co-pilot of a Russian-Made K-36D Ejects
The sheer thought of ejecting from a plane thousands of feet above the ground seems insane, but is definitely necessary in times of crisis, especially on military aircraft.
Air Show Stunt Goes Wrong
Air shows are always a good time, because you never really think of planes being able to do some of the tricks you see. However, a lot can go wrong pretty quickly, and unfortunately here we see two planes that have gotten tangled up.
Drift Accident During Final.
Drifting is a whole art-form in itself, and while it’s incredibly fun to watch, the drivers must be very careful to avoid each other, because with the slightest touch, those wheels will pop their way right onto your opponents hood.
GT3 BMW Gets Air
This is why they tell you not to cut corners, because if you hit one of those curbs at the wrong angle, you’re surely going to be going for a ride. This BMW took all 4 tires off the ground, and brought his own dirt cloud with him. Perhaps a distraction mechanism?
Offshore Powerboat Gets Airborne
This powerboat driver won’t forget Lake Cumberland anytime soon, considering he went for a wild ride! Seen here, the boat performed an almost perfect backflip and came crashing down into the water after winds whipped the water surface, causing a launching effect.
Surfer Almost Collides With Waverunner
It’s common for surfers to be dragged out to the waves by Waverunners, but in certain sketchy conditions, even those drivers have a tough time when the ocean is rough. Here, a rogue wave runner is caught in the same wave as the surfer, who just narrowly escapes.
WW2 Pilot Ejects While A Farmer Plows His Fields.
Talk about a cool, vintage photo. Seen here is a farmer who is simply minding his own business and plowing his fields routinely, while just above a pilot is ejecting from his crashing aircraft. Safe to say WWII was extremely hard fought, and perilous.
F18 Hornet Crash
Luckily for this pilot, he was able to eject well before his F18 Hornet dive-bombed into the airstrip below. While viewers got an unexpected rush of adrenaline from the show, everyone’s just lucky no one got hurt.
Mod Drag Race Car Gets Airborne
This pro modified dragster sure went on a heck of a ride, as nearing the end of its run, it caught the concrete barrier, propelling it nearly 20 feet in the air. The driver was undoubtedly shaken up by the unexpected flight, but at those speeds, who’s surprised?
RallyCross Car Goes End Over End
At this point you’re probably wondering, “how on earth does anyone even want to do Rallycross with all of these crazy wrecks?” Well, you could say it’s all part of the thrill of it. After all, who doesn’t like a nice nose slide?
We Guess This Is Equivalent To A Steel Ball Of Death.
You’ve seen this done with motorcycles before, but did you know people are crazy enough to try this in a wooden vortex with actual cars? You can see how many people this attracts, but we can’t imagine it’s passing many safety protocols.
Car Drop!
You’ve seen the military drop vehicles and other large cargo to bases across the world, but would you ever imagine seeing a station wagon falling from the sky? We’re not exactly sure of the context here, but we don’t necessarily see any parachute or landing equipment in sight…
What Do You Do?
A freeze frame in racing can show just how a split second decision can decide your whole fate, and you only have a few fleeting moments to decide how to evade an accident, or get caught up in it. Which path are you taking here?
Indy Lights Drivers Tangle Up
A major area you want to avoid in open-wheel racing is the gravel traps, but flipping into one while airborne is highly opposite of ideal. Here, the lighter-weight models got into each other, and thanks to those noses and aerodynamics, our one friend experienced a ride.
The First Turn Of The First Lap
Formula 1 is always exciting, and sometimes even from the get-go. Here, the drivers clearly couldn’t qualm their nerves, as two cars not only got into it, but one was sent flying completely over another, but thankfully there was enough clearance.
Porsche 911 Driver Gets It Wrong
The slightest mishap in racing can lead you off course, which is fine in minimal margins, because anything sending you into an obstacle is sure to end badly for you. Here, this cup driver had a rough run-in with the tire barrier, sending him flying.
Formula 1 Cars Can’t Jump?
Kamui Kobayashi sent his vehicle flying in the 2012 Monaco Grand Prix after being caught up in a dust up near the start-finish line. While these cars sit so low to the actual pavement, a slight bump or run-in can send them shooting up in the air.
Ken Block Rolls Again
Oh Ken Block, you never fail to entertain a crowd by living on the edge. No one pushes the limits more than this rallycross driver, but with that ambition, also comes room for error. Here he’s seen rolling down the road in competition.
Nissan GT-R GT3 NISMO Gets Airborne
This driver didn’t have the best time during his run on this German course, as an untimely collision with the outside wall had propelled the nose directly upwards, and sent him careening off course.
First Turn, First Lap Mishap
Ralf Schumacher launches off Ferrari’s Rubens Barrichello on another first lap F1 crash, and this time everyone was caught up in it. Sometimes when two cars’ tires touch, the only result is a propelled launch.
2012 Le Mans Toyota LMP1 Car Crashes
What’s crazy about all these car shapes is that when two come together that may even be different models, sometimes the body type can only exacerbate the severity of the crash. Here, this Toyota cartwheels over a Ferrari, undoubtedly ending both drivers’ day.
