5 people die in Texoma poker run

JASON · 15-09-2006, 08:45 PM

Accidents can happen at any time, 5 people die in Texoma poker run whilst enjoying what they love best.
Will we ever really know or come to understand what went so tragically wrong.

Be safe out there.

http://www.lakepirateforums.com/Foru...ic/t=6602.html

http://www.lakepirateforums.com/Foru...ic/t=6556.html

Investigation photos
http://www.lakepirateforums.com/Foru...ic/t=6686.html

Adam · 16-09-2006, 12:06 PM

Very sickening to see and extremely sad day!

catmando · 25-09-2006, 05:39 AM

Here is a link to the Eliminator 36Daytona of Flash Gordon. Look carefully at the last two pics of the transom rigging. Many of us believe that a catastrophic mechanical failure in this area was the cause of this terrible accident.

I went to Gordon and Ann's funeral as they lived only 50 miles from me. I met Flash several years ago here on my lake. He had his boat there and it was awesome. I had talked to him over the phone several times this year.

RIP Flash you will be missed.

BluFin · 25-09-2006, 06:59 AM

Some rigging pics here also
http://www.arneson-industries.com/flash_gordon.htm

catmando · 01-10-2006, 05:04 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by BluFin
Some rigging pics here also
http://www.arneson-industries.com/flash_gordon.htm

Thank you BluFin that was the link I did not put in my post above. As you can see from those pics, there were some changes made to the drive system and the tie bar. The failure could have been caused by the tie bar. If its mounting brackets failed, the drives could have freewheeled against themselves, causing the sharp turn to port that many of us think caused this tragedy.

Jon Fuller · 01-10-2006, 09:57 AM

The last picture in that set has a different tie bar set-up, which I have to say, looks far better than the way it's done in all the other shots. Do we know which setup was the new one, and which the old?

The pics showing it with a vertical post up to the rose joint looks really fragile to me, especially as it's farther forward along the torque tubes, so under much more load/leverage....horrid!

Looking around some other pics on that arnesson-industries site, I see they have a few pics of Brit boats, including the 'Broadstone Challenger' (Ice Marine 51') and Kim Collins's 38 Donzi on it's Hydrohoist.

Another tie bar picture that cought my eye, was this one. Don't think I'd want it showing me the way @ 150! Again, horrid amounts of leverage generated by the design. The class 1 cats running Arnessons always used to have hydraulic tie bars (needed to keep tie bar hardware out of tunnel view), don't really understand why you'd want to depend on a contraption like the one shown, when a tried & tested race system exists. Unless I'm missing something.