Ferrari Enzo destroyed in 100mph crash

THE SUN, 23.02.06: A Swedish millionare has destroyed his million dollar Ferrari Enzo in a 100mph crash on a Californian freeway. Stefan Ericksson, 44, was travelling at triple figure speeds on the famous Pacific Coast Highway when he lost control of the Enzo. The car was torn in half when it struck a telegraph pole, ending up with the engine and other wreckage scattered across the highway. Ericksson told investigators that he was a passenger in the car and that the driver was a German man he knew only as Dietrich who fled to the surrounding hills after the crash. A three hour search failed to find anyone. Ericksson suffered a cut lip in the crash. Sergeant Philip Brooks of the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said: "For $1 million, you get a very good passenger-safety system, and apparently in this case it did work." Originally 399 Enzos were scheduled to be built, powered by a 660bhp V12, accelerating it to 60 in 3.3 seconds and on to 220mph. A final car was built and presented to Pope John Paul II, before being auctioned to charity, taking the total number built to 400. Chris Banning, a Beverly Hills based author and Ferrari owner said: "He destroyed one of the finest cars on earth, maybe the finest. It's like taking a Van Gogh painting and burning it."

THE SUNDAY EXPRESS, 6.01.06.

Tehran plane crash

An Iranian military plane with 94 people on board has crashed into a 10-storey apartment building in a built-up suburb of the capital Tehran. There was a huge explosion and fire in the building. Police said everyone had died on the plane and many deaths were feared on the ground. The plane had been due to fly Bandar Abbas in the south-west of Iran. Passengers included more than 70 journalists and photographers sent to cover military exercises there.

The C-130 plane had just taken off from Mehrabad airport when the pilot reported an emergency and turned back. He apparently lost control as he attempted to land. Emergency services went to the scene in the Yaftabad district and the area was sealed off while the fires were extinguished. Scores of people were taken to hospitals suffering from burns and the effects of smoke. The semi-official news agency said at least 40 bodies had been recovered so far. Tehran state radio said at least 34 people had been killed in the building and 90 were injured. Eyewitnesses reported that relatives of those inside the residential block where the plane crashed were so desperate that they broke down a 3m tall metal gate to get inside. Journalists at the site have reported being beaten by police. They said police broke two cameras belonging to state television and confiscated tapes and all mobile phones being used to take pictures.

One shopkeeper described how something appeared to be wrong with the plane before it crashed. "We are used to aeroplanes but I thought: 'Oh my God, this one is going to crash'. Then it struck the building with a big bang and smoke came pouring out." Amir, who reached the scene shortly after the crash, said the building was engulfed in smoke and dust and a huge fire swept through the block before the fire brigade arrived.

The country's civil and military aircraft have a poor safety record. Officials blame the high frequency of crashes on a lack of aviation spare parts due to US sanctions. Mehrabad is the oldest airport in Tehran and handles both domestic and military flights. When it was built more than 60 years ago it was located outside the capital, but with the growth of Tehran's urban sprawl the airport has become surrounded by residential areas.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1276