The Fire: What Happened?

[PEI330Ci]

Incidents happen for specific reasons, whether people are willing to admit it or not, and are ALL preventable.

The purpose of this thread is to share what happened with my car, so that others may be able to prevent similar things happening to themselves.

As a quick recap, this is the result of the incident on September 1:



I will be reviewing the incident in 5 parts:

1. Events before going to the track
2. Events at the track
3. The incident
4. Events after the incident
5. Learning points


Events Before Going To The Track

I spent the morning of Sept. 1 making some changes to wiring under the dash to data log nitrous fuel pressure and nitrous bottle pressure with my laptop. I also made some changes to facilitate nitrous flow-testing with the system mounted to the car and the engine turned off. (Normally this is done off the car, but I wanted to get "real" results) At about 2pm all the wiring was complete, and I set up the video camera to start doing some flow-testing. I went through a number of test routines with only the nitrous pulsoids connected just to prove the electronics were working properly, then stopped to prepare to go to the drag strip. I never re-connected the fuel pulsoids.

At about 4pm I had the car up on jack stands and was doing an inspection of the underside of the car to make sure everything was OK. I pressurized both fuel systems, and opened the nitrous bottles to check for any leaks in the engine compartment. I found a minor leak on a nitrous fitting which I was able to fix by tightening it. Everything appeared to be OK, so I started loading the trailer.

Seeing that it was warm out, I considered taking my open face helmet to the track instead of the closed face helmet, but decided to stick with what I'd been wearing all year with one exception.

The previous weekend, I had brought "Mechanics" gloves to the race track with me because it was fairly cool first thing in the morning . (Dash said it was 34 degrees F) I wore them both times that I took the car to the line, and actually liked the idea of wearing them. On the afternoon of September 1, I decided to wear them until a new pair of proper fire-proof driving gloves could be bought. It just seemed like the right thing to do, even though I had not been wearing gloves throughout the season. (Check my previous in-car videos...I'm not wearing gloves) So I took an extra pair of Mechanics gloves to the track with me that night.


Events At The Track

When I got to the track, I spent a bit of time talking to the officials and medic at the starting line before unloading my car. It was actually warm enough out, that I was considering not wearing some of my safety gear. I remember the last thing I said to the staff at the line though: "Well I've got to go put my fire suit on and get the car ready to go". Nobody has ever given me a hard time about this even though I had much more "safety gear" than required.

I went through my normal warm up routine with the car, which is letting it idle until I see 140 degrees, then take the car for a quick drive up and down the return road. (Allowed at this track) Because I'm not "racing" the car, I just wear street clothes for this and never see over 30 MPH.

With the car warmed up I put the full driving suit on, and strapped myself into the car. I should note that I buckle the full 6 point harness up, (Some people don't do the sub belts) and I also put the window net up. I thought I was ready to go, so I headed for the staging lanes for the first pass of the night.


The Incident

The fire didn't happen on the first pass, but as I'll explain, the "problem" started here.

I did a mild burn out, then moved to the line with the Nitrous system armed.

Launching the car, it felt pretty soft, but I had set the nitrous to come in after 1 second with only a 30hp shot so I didn't think anything of it. In 2nd gear the car again felt really soft, but I just assumed that the nitrous system hadn't come on due to a bad setting or a safety measure had intervened. (Both have happened before) Still, I had set the nitrous controller for just a 75hp shot with 0.5 second delay so I wasn't sure if the car was just slower than I was expecting it to be. (I've used a LOT more nitrous in 2nd gear before) The engine wasn't stuttering or missing, and the car basically felt like it did on an N/A run. I shifted into 3rd gear, where the nitrous was set to a 135hp shot and the car felt funny and started to stutter and pop. (Detonation) I immediately got off the throttle and coasted to the 1/8 mile turn-off.

I knew before I had even turned off the track that I had forgotten to plug the fuel pulsoids back in. The fuel system had good pressure, which the Nitrous controller could see, but there was no safety measure in place for forgetting to plug in the pulsoids.

Driving down the return road, I free-rev'd the engine a couple of times and the engine seemed ok. I then put it in 1rst gear and gave it a shot, and again the engine seemed OK. I did however smell something "odd" so I decided to give the engine a good look over in the pits. I remember thinking, OK, you've got to pull the plugs now....

As I pulled into my pit spot, a friend walked up and asked how it was going. I looked him right in the eye and said: "I think I just hurt the engine". I popped the hood, plugged in the fuel pulsoids, then gave the rest of the engine a quick visual. Still with my helmet on ect., I decided to check the engine out on the track by making another pass. I never pulled the plugs...

I got back into the car, buckled myself in, and headed to the staging lanes. I left the nitrous controller setup with the "soft" settings from the 1rst pass, as I thought that would be a safe place to start.

I did a normal burnout, staged the car, and launched normally with a bit of clutch slip to smooth the hit to the drive-train. The nitrous came on after 1 second just as I was halfway through first gear, and I thought "OK, this is working fine". 2nd gear, and the 75 shot felt good. 3rd gear felt a bit soft, but again I had run more nitrous than a 135 hp shot normally at that point, so I stayed in it. The engine was running without any sputters or misses, so I thought everything was OK. I shifted into 4th gear with a 180 hp shot programmed, but the engine didn't feel that strong. Midway through 4th there was a quick stutter followed by a bang and then I saw flames coming up over the windshield. I got off the throttle and onto the brakes with the transmission in neutral while the engine seemed to be bouncing off the rev limiter. I reached around the steering wheel and turned off the key/ignition and it continued to free rev. Then the back end of the car seemed to get really loose and I could barely see anything through the flames coming over the windshield so I focused on getting the car stopped safely in the grass. Just before I came to a stop I started switching off the steering pump, accusump ect...but I never finished.

The car stopped and I pushed the fire button as flames started to lick up over the dash. When nothing happened, I unbelted and reached around the side of my seat with my left arm to flip the arm switch, but I switched it to the "TEST" position, not the "ARM" position. I again I hit the activation button and nothing happened.

I then realized that nitrous was hissing pretty badly in the engine compartment, so I reached over with both hands and shut the valves on the bottles. I could feel the heat on my left arm and wrist, so I knew I didn't have much time to try activating the fire system system.

Then the fire flared up into my face as the driver's door was opened by a person trying to save me. I punched down the window net, and threw my body out through the opening just as this person grabbed onto me and pulled me out onto the ground. He was shouting "your on fire" so I rolled on the ground while he helped pat out the fire. (He was wearing gloves) I got up and we both moved away from the car as the track staff arrived and secured the area.

I remember looking back at the car as the medics were giving me first aid; the tail lights were still on....the car still had power....


Events after the Incident

I was rushed to the hospital right from the track, and was being treated by a nurse within 5 minutes. A couple of hours later I was at home starting what would become 3 days of nearly non-stop 24hr burn treatment. Looking back on it now, the first 3 days were the most important in my recovery. I'm not belittling all the other work done after the first 3 days, because there was a ton of it, but the first 3 days I feel were very significant in how successful my recovery has been.

Back at the track, I'm told that the car burned for more than an hour. With flames more than 10ft high from the car, I don't blame anyone for staying clear of the chassis. The last thing I would have wanted was someone else getting hurt from my mistakes....

Once the flames died down, the car was eventually sprayed down, but it was still very hot. They had one heck of a time getting the car loaded onto the flat deck.

The car was kept at the wrecker's compound for 2 days before I had a chance to think about doing something with it. I wasn't able to leave home, so I called on a few friends to supervise the move from the compound back to the shop. I had assumed I'd be able to put the car in the shop and work on it when I was healthy again. I had severely underestimated the toxic fumes from the car....

When the car arrived at the shop, it was put down onto dolly platforms in the parking lot and I got a phone call. The fumes were so bad that my friends had concerns about it even sitting in the parking lot! We decided to leave it outside for the night and to see how it was in the morning.

2 days later I was able to view the car, and the smell was BAD. I was told that it was actually a LOT better from when the car had first arrived, so I can only imagine what I'd put my friends and neighbors at the shop through.

It was another week before I could wear a respirator mask to safely start tearing down the car, and even then it was pretty toxic stuff to be working with. For example, I moved the front wheel hubs into the shop, and we could smell it. So I took them back outside and washed them down with soap which worked fine, but I wasn't going to be able to do that with everything. The parts I wanted to keep, I put in sealed storage containers with baking soda, and it worked. I've now got a lot of large storage containers....



I know a lot of people would like to know what exactly happened to the engine that caused the fire. I will get to that, but it's not as important as the learning points listed below.

Establish and use pre-race mechanical checklists to make sure your vehicle is ready for the track. If possible, have 2 people be involved in signing off for all the check-points so that mistakes can be found. If you don't have time to do this, you shouldn't be racing.

Establish and use pre-race driver checklists to make sure all safety measures are being worn and/or electronically/physically activated

Practice emergency scenarios at the shop, and at the track. Involve track personnel if possible.

Give track staff a "tour" of the car and all of it's safety features. Passing technical inspection doesn't mean that everyone knows where your external and internal master shut-off switch is.

Buy and use the best personal safety equipment you can afford. Cover your whole body; there are many "affordable" packages to start out with. There are also some cost effective ways of upgrading. For example if you can't afford a 3 layer fire suit, consider a 2 layer with nomex underwear. I had a basic fire suit, which worked, but I now wish I had invested in better. My face for example would have been in better shape if I'd worn a nomex belaclava.

In the event of a fire, put your health before the car's health. Turn off the master shut off, (secures car), activate fire system, (buys you time to safely get out of the car), get out of the car calmly and efficiently. (As you have practiced)

If you have to work with a car chassis that has burned, give it at least a week to "breath". Wear a proper respirator and protective clothing. The ash is toxic.

I'll be covering the tear down of the chassis/engine shortly, the evidence supports what I've hinted at previously. To start with, I wanted to focus on the safety aspects of the incident that I made mistakes with.

[M3 Muscle]

I really applaud you for going the extra mile to inform us. I can say that I will be installing a fire system in my track car now. I never thought that was very importand before. It seemed like it was one of those thing that could never happen to me. Thanks again and hope the recovery is going well!

[///M3Augy]

What makes the ash toxic?

[ParadigmGuy]

Thanks for taking the time to type this out. I'll probably wear gloves and a balaclava at a minimum next time.

[Binjammin]

Man, it's awesome that you can go through all that and still have the love to share and give back after.

[3 s3ri3s95]

shit do i respect you. i love my little bimmer and my car is N/A. good to hear you had a good recovery.

[Colby Colbs]

Soo are you rebuilding this car, or just trying to figure out what went wrong?

[ZimDoc]

Thank you again for posting all of this information and pushing for everyone who tracks or drags their cars to wear the correct saftey items. Most HPDE's and weekend drag racers never see a bad crash, again sorry it happened to you but I am glad you are helping others, sharing what happened and how it could have been pervented.

Can't wait to see one of your videos or builds again.

[YellowBed]

So what caused the fire you think?

[antonch]

Originally Posted by YellowBed

So what caused the fire you think?

+1, root cause please

[jon volk]

From reading the previous thread I believe it was oil from the engine failure caught fire.

[antonch]

Originally Posted by jon volk

From reading the previous thread I believe it was oil from the engine failure caught fire.

I just remember the intake being blown to pieces.

[|TIG|]

I have to say Adam, you are truly a stand up guy. After the incident I reread your build thread and admire all the work that went into it and commend you with how well you accepted critique from others as well as your willingness to share your knowledge. There is no greater example of your selflessness than this thread.

Thank you for sharing your experience and helping us all learn from your incident. Hope you continue to recover quickly!

[PEI330Ci]

Originally Posted by ///M3Augy

What makes the ash toxic?

The ash is from burned plastics and paints....stuff that can kill you if you aren't careful.

Originally Posted by ParadigmGuy

Thanks for taking the time to type this out. I'll probably wear gloves and a balaclava at a minimum next time.

You're welcome. It's people like yourself that have motivated me to pursue FI, hopefully my experience helps you in the future.

Originally Posted by Binjammin

Man, it's awesome that you can go through all that and still have the love to share and give back after.

Thanks.

I'm a pretty lucky person...in a lot of ways.

Originally Posted by 3 s3ri3s95

shit do i respect you. i love my little bimmer and my car is N/A. good to hear you had a good recovery.

Thank you.

Originally Posted by Colby Colbs

Soo are you rebuilding this car, or just trying to figure out what went wrong?

I'm still in the salvage process.

I've known what went wrong for a long time, but I've wanted to prove it with evidence and the independent opinions of experts in related fields.

I need to get the "OK" from 2 more people then I'll be posting the nearly 100 photos involved in the tear down with a detailed write up.

Originally Posted by M.Webber

Thank you again for posting all of this information and pushing for everyone who tracks or drags their cars to wear the correct saftey items. Most HPDE's and weekend drag racers never see a bad crash, again sorry it happened to you but I am glad you are helping others, sharing what happened and how it could have been pervented.

Can't wait to see one of your videos or builds again.

Thank you, I appreciate your kindness.

There's more to come...

Originally Posted by YellowBed

So what caused the fire you think?

See comments above.

Originally Posted by antonch

+1, root cause please

It won't be in that structure of thought, but I won't dance around the point.

Originally Posted by jon volk

From reading the previous thread I believe it was oil from the engine failure caught fire.

No oil was involved until well after the fire had started.

Originally Posted by antonch

I just remember the intake being blown to pieces.

That would be putting it mildly...

Originally Posted by |TIG|

I have to say Adam, you are truly a stand up guy. After the incident I reread your build thread and admire all the work that went into it and commend you with how well you accepted critique from others as well as your willingness to share your knowledge. There is no greater example of your selflessness than this thread.

Thank you for sharing your experience and helping us all learn from your incident. Hope you continue to recover quickly!

What a classy thing to say; thank you!

[YellowBed]

Was it electrical?

[Mrel]

Your new plan sounds exactly like how I preflight/train for all my flights. Before we fly any airplane, we go through a checklist(Both pilot's) and check each other. Also we practice emergency procedures all the time for currency.

[m3jasper]

Thanks for sharing your experience. I hope it all works out and you'll be up and running sooner than later.

[5mall5nail5]

Adam I admire your ability to even talk about this all. I don't know that I'd be able to do it so detailed for some time myself. As much as it seems as if things were against you that day, reading your more detailed story now you should definitely realize things were definitely in your favor too. The times you were considering no safety equipment, open face helmet, etc., all could have changed the outcome drastically. Good choices were made whether initially apparent or not. I've shown a few guys here at work some of which are materials and QA engineers - everyone has said how lucky you are to come out as you did in this situation!

Press on! Good luck.

[antonch]

Well at least look at the bright side, if your cage was made of CrMo its probably heat treated by now.

[protomor]

I wonder why the car didn't shut off... Still I'm glad youre ok. I need to get in the habit of better safety precautions.

Do you think it was caused by the nitrous system?

[5mall5nail5]

Car didn't shut off probably because of a short, that and Adam said it was pegging the red line which is common if the intake burst or cracked.

[Binjammin]

Originally Posted by 5mall5nail5

Car didn't shut off probably because of a short, that and Adam said it was pegging the red line which is common if the intake burst or cracked.

Sort of a weird coincidence to have both happen at the same time though.

[Smilez@EuroDyne]

wow. i was following your build track thread.

i'm glad you made it out a live.

[5mall5nail5]

Originally Posted by Binjammin

Sort of a weird coincidence to have both happen at the same time though.

Not really - its obvious the intake exploded which means massive air leaks everywhere, the ITBs were prob damaged and open, hell the throttle linkage could have been pulling them open, and fire melting wires = short. Thats why you have a battery off switch separate of an ignition switch.

[Mr Deagle]

Didnt he remove the ITB's? Do you think it had something to do with the expanding/contracting rubber boots? (plus the amount of movement associated with that)