Anatomy of a Wreck
Welcome to a detailed analysis of Mike Gilday's wild ride at the 2001 Nitro Nationals in Red Bluff CA. You can view play-by-play photos of the wreck as well as video footage in a variety of file formats. Please read each caption to look into the "anatomy of a wreck."
Watch the Video
To view the video of Mike Gilday's wild ride at the 2001 Nitro Nationals in Red Bluff CA select from the file types below.
Play by Play
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Mike's TAH Witchcraft is pictured here in pre-wreck condition at a "test & tune" during an NJBA Finals event. |
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Mike begins his wild ride at the 2001 Nitro Nationals in Red Bluff CA. At approximately 1/4 track, just into Mike's full track license pass, the boat takes a violent turn. |
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Mike's TAH Witchcraft actually takes flight for a split second - Onlookers estimate the Witchcraft rising 7ft off the water during it's time airborne. |
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At approximately 1/2 track, the Witchcraft makes hard contact with a right sponson and begins to barrel roll. |
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Mike's TAH witchcraft is equipped with an "F-16 style" safety capsule. The capsule is pictured at the moment of ejection from the craft. |
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Within 6 seconds, the TAH Witchcraft accelerated from 0 to 160 mph. At those speeds, violent contact with the water surface can be catastrophic. The Witchcraft comes apart just after 1/2 track. |
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Members of the "RainBird" water safety & rescue team go into action immediately. Divers enter the water and utilize brute strength and a crane to lift the capsule onto a rescue boat. |
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The professionalism of the "RainBird" rescue team is evident in their quick action to rescue Mike from the water. John Smith, a rescue diver with the RainBird team is still in the water at this point - injured from his effort to lift the capsule into the rescue boat. He will later make a full recovery. We cannot say enough about the professionalism and heroic actions of John and the rest of his rescue team. |
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The safety capsule is brought to shore and Mike is quickly assessed for injury. The impact with the water has knocked him unconscious. Ambulances from RedBluff memorial have already been dispatched to the scene. |
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Mike is transported to RedBluff Memorial for general check-up and observation. Amazingly, his injuries are minimal(just a couple of bumps and bruises). He returns to the race with 4 hours to meet with his fans and sign autographs! |
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As for the TAH Witchcraft, her racing days are over. The hull was completely destroyed and salvage efforts are able to recover the motor and the safety capsule only. It is later discovered that only 3 bolts from the boat assembly survived intact. |
Wreck Analysis
In a later analysis of the wreck, it is surmised that metal fatigue in the prop assembly caused a deformation of the prop that eventually caused the boat to chine and become airborne leading to Mike's wild ride at the 2001 Nitro Nationals in Red Bluff CA. The safety systems and protocols along with Mike's training all helped to save his life and bring Mike back only hours later to re-join his family at the race track.
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. |
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. |
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. |
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Explore the anatomy of a wreck as we review detailed information and footage from Mike Gilday's wild ride at the 2001 Nitro Nationals in Red Bluff CA. |
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Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consetetur sadipscing elitr, sed diam nonumy eirmod tempor invidunt ut labore et dolore magna aliquyam erat, sed diam voluptua. At vero eos et accusam et justo duo dolores et ea rebum. Stet clita kasd gubergren, no sea takimata sanctus est Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet. |
Mailing Address
Air Perfection Inc.
241-A West A Street
Dixon, CA 95620
707-678-0573
Fax:707-678-0766
info@airperfectioninc.com |
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