Billionaire who died in speed record bid let go of steering wheel to deploy parachute

A billionaire businessman crashed at 244 mph while trying to set a speed record on the highway. Porsche The 911 Turbo was accused of deploying its parachute with one hand off the steering wheel.

Zeff Eisenberg, 47, was trying to prove he had created the world’s fastest Porsche, and died at nearby Elvington Airfield while attempting a record-breaking “flying mile.” yokeOctober 2020.

During the drive, the car floated in the air, barreling and spinning, traveling 500 meters before coming to a stop, injuring Eisenberg multiple times.

Coroner John Heath recorded an ill-fated conclusion after hearing that Mr. Eisenberg had accidentally braked and then deployed a parachute, destabilizing the car and taking off.

He found that Mr. Eisenberg had died from multiple trauma sustained in a crash while “driving at about 244 mph during a speed record attempt.”

Eisenberg’s modified street-legal Porsche was equipped with a parachute, which required his left hand to be lifted from the steering wheel and deployed using a lever.

Steve Gardner, Crash Investigator north yorkshire police At the time, another method of deploying the parachute was to use a handle-mounted button, which was not attached to the vehicle.

“The movement to deploy the parachute was considerable,” said the former traffic cop.

“It was a lever that needed to be pushed forward.”

As part of his investigation, Gardner saw footage of the crash, including photos taken inside the car, and noticed a “minimal” but “noticeable” jerking of the steering wheel moments before he lost control.

Eisenberg was scheduled to perform 10 runs at the airfield that day, with one final attempt, but it took place in dry conditions.

An analysis of the car found no deficiencies in brakes, tires or aerodynamics.

A family member who attended the hearing remotely expressed concern about whether he was properly secured to his Porsche using a six-point harness attached to the vehicle in five locations.

Motorsport UK’s Jamie Champkin, the agency that gave Eisenberg permission to attempt the record, told the inquest the forces involved in the crash were so enormous he could not have survived. .

he said:

“At the moment you are in the air, there is no friction to limit your speed, except air friction.

“I know there was a barrel roll, but it’s also a fall.

“There was a point in that crash where the car first came off the nose.

“I don’t know the exact speed at the time.

“Our estimate was that it was probably going 150 miles per hour, maybe 250 kilometers per hour, but it hit the ground and by our very basic calculations, the force of impact was 37,000 pounds, or Eisenberg’s It suggests that it can be as much as 218 times its body weight.

“This incident did not survive in that context.”

We had previously heard that the inquest wanted to show that Mr. Eisenberg created the world’s fastest Porsche for “bragging rights.”

He had survived the UK’s fastest motorcycle crash at the same airfield in 2016, breaking his leg and pelvic bones when his turbine-powered motorcycle failed to stop on the edge of the runway.

A former teenage bodybuilder from the north London He made his fortune with the Maximuscle fitness brand of protein powders, eventually selling it to pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline and moving to Guernsey.

His passion for motorsports led to the launch of the ITV show Speed ​​Freaks, which focuses on the design, construction and engineering of extreme cars.

After his death, Mr. Eisenberg’s family described him as “a true genius with a unique talent.”

A coroner said it would prepare a report aimed at preventing future deaths and would ask Motorsport UK to consider regulations regarding the strength of the chassis to which the harness is attached.