Swiss Pz HB M109 KAWEST upside down [Archive]

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G Due

01-15-2007, 10:21 AM

This is from an incident back in summer 06, when the driver apparently managed to flip over a 27t-weighing M109. Got these two from a source who was serving in the artillery training school where the accident took place.
AFAIK, 5 recruits were injured, one of them seriously. Not funny at all.

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IDF-Godzilla

01-15-2007, 10:38 AM

I wonder how the hell can that thing flip on its own????

apm

01-15-2007, 10:39 AM

:| what an incident, incredible. one can imagine that it is not nice to be buried beneath such a monster of steel.

Amateur

01-15-2007, 10:53 AM

I don't think it's as extraordinaty as it looks. Due to the big gun, the vehicle probably has a higher weight center than, let's say, a tank. If the driver took the turn abruptly and put one of the tracks off the road, then there could be some kind of swing towards the one side, thus capsizing the vehicle.

Bzzliteyr

01-15-2007, 11:58 AM

I would definetly suggest speed is a factor....

Sato

01-15-2007, 12:23 PM

Aaahh, enthousiasme, a curse or a bless...

lightfire

01-15-2007, 12:28 PM

Buffalo soldiers happens...

Jagdtiger

01-15-2007, 01:58 PM

hey that´s something to do even if it´s funny like that

PeterG

01-15-2007, 02:02 PM

I wonder if the driver had to have a nice little chat with the CO after that? p-)

G Due

01-15-2007, 06:09 PM

As many of you might know for themselves, you simply can't flip a M109 just with reckless driving on more or less even terrain.
As I was told, the accident was a combination of worst case scenarios:
Serious speeding and making an abrupt turn to the left (by which the left track was completely blocked), and this, while the vehicle was partially driving on a berm on the right side.
I don't know any more details, just that there was an investigation by the full set of civil and military authorities, as such an accident never happend before.

countermeasure

01-15-2007, 06:12 PM

How in the world do you do that....?

AICW40mm

01-15-2007, 08:28 PM

This is why tracked vehicles are speed limited to 60-70kph. If they go faster and make a sharp turn or hit a bump that interferes with one track compared to the other they will flip. The Israelis have had a few Merkava Mk.4 flips (60-70 tonnes) because of excesssive speed.

koolkat

01-16-2007, 01:41 AM

How did they get out. Does it have a hatch below.?

AICW40mm

01-16-2007, 04:32 AM

Has a big friggin hatch at the back...

G Due

01-17-2007, 08:41 AM

Not quite sure if they got out themselves... shaken up as they were :|

KaG90

01-18-2007, 02:30 AM

sorry to reanimate this thread, but just saw it now and it concerns me more or less directly as i drive that exact typ of vehicle in the swiss army.
that looks severe. i've pulled my fair share of $hit with m109 kawest but never expected it would be possible to flip it on even ground.
any details on what exactly the driver did to manage this?

oh, and was this in the media? army accidents hardly ever are...