Post-Mortem: Deployment #48

Date

Tuesday, approximately 2:15 PM MST

Summary

Operator achieved target velocity of 340 mph on Route 66 straightaway. Target was spotted 200 yards ahead, stationary, consuming bird seed. Operator closed distance in 2.1 seconds. Target moved 3 feet to the left. Operator continued into canyon at full speed.

Timeline

• 2:15:00 - Ignition successful
• 2:15:03 - Maximum velocity reached
• 2:15:05 - Target acquired visually
• 2:15:07 - Target displacement (3 ft lateral)
• 2:15:07.5 - Road ended
• 2:15:08 - Gravitational awareness achieved
• 2:15:12 - Ground contact (canyon floor, 400 ft below)

Root Cause

No braking mechanism. This has been noted in every previous post-mortem.

Action Items

• Consider adding brakes
• Rejected: brakes would reduce top speed
• Order replacement skates