Very sad day in the Vette world.

[Z06 Rocket]

A fellow Vette enthusiast lost his life in a crash (not FL but still an enthusiast). His Corvette hit a tree and caught fire. Unfortunately he did not make it. My prayers go out to his family.

He was a Soldier who flew in Iraq for 3 tours. Just got a private job flying jets stateside.

Sad day indeed.

http://www.wmctv.com/Global/story.as...7&nav=menu59_2

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[Z06 Rocket]

Memphis police now know the cause of a deadly fiery car crash. Investigators say speed and slick roads caused the driver of a blue Corvette to lose control.

The accident happened just before 3:00 p.m. on North Parkway between I-240 and Decatur andshut down traffic for hours Tuesday afternoon.

Police say the driver of the Corvette was headed west on North Parkway when the car slammed into a tree and burst into flames.

A frame of mangled metal and tires twisted by intense heat were all that fire left of the car.

Eyewitness Antwon Tucker says, “It's an ugly sight now. It's horrible in life what some people have to go through.”

Antwon Tucker and his neighbors tried to rescue the driver who was inside the burning car, but they failed.

“We tried to get as close as we could, but the fire was, ya know, it was too hot, so nobody couldn't do nothing about it,” he said. “It was awful to just sit there and watch the man burn up.”

Tucker was sitting inside his North Parkway home Tuesday afternoon when he heard a sound that shook him and his house.

He says, “I was watching TV and I heard a loud bang, and the noise rocked the house so I ran to the door and seen the car up on fire up against the tree, but we came out and nobody couldn't do nothing to help the guy.”

Firefighters say magnesium and fiberglass parts inside the Corvette made it tough for them to help because those materials make it harder to put out a fire. By the time firefighters reached the driver of the Corvette, he was dead.

Only tiny pieces of the car were left at the crash scene Tuesday night, but people who live near the area say the crash is something they won't forget easily.

Police say they know the identity of the driver killed in the crash, but they have not released his name because they want to notify his family first.

[Z06 Rocket]

Pilot killed in North Parkway crash
By Jody Callahan
Contact
November 16, 2006

Brian Wolf flew F16 fighters for three tours in Iraq as a major in the Alabama Air National Guard.

Yet after surviving all those missions, Mr. Wolf died Tuesday afternoon in Memphis when his 2004 Corvette crashed into a tree along North Parkway.

The irony wasn't lost on his father, Chuck Wolf, a retired pilot.

"I've thought about that a hundred times. What can you say? It's just fate. It happens. Luck of the draw," said Wolf, who lives outside Atlanta.

His son moved to Memphis from Atlanta earlier this year to take a job flying 727s for FedEx.

He was 37.

"He's a fantastic guy. I'm so saddened by his death," said friend and fellow pilot Dave Hirschman of Atlanta. "Just a really enthusiastic nice, friendly guy. Very down to earth, very unassuming, very patriotic in a low-key kind of way."

Mr. Wolf found his calling after following his father around to various air shows as a child.

"From there, he got in his mind he wanted to be a military pilot," his dad said. "I never pushed him. It's one of those things."

During his time in Iraq, Mr. Wolf sent frequent e-mails to his family, discussing the war and his role in it as well as more down-to-earth topics.

On getting used to the sounds there: "The jet noise is familiar but the mortar shells are not. This base has been mortared almost 300 times this year. Since I'm not in the Marine Corps or Army, this sound has taken the most getting used to."

On the danger: "Some nights over here it sounds like the "Apocalypse Now" movie. It's the helicopters coming in at night. That's a bad thing since they're bringing in the shot-up Americans to the trauma center here on base. If one is having doubts on whether we're in a combat zone or not, they can go visit the trauma center over here. They are never without patients."

On his preferred flight position: "I've had 10 flights so far. Each sortie lasts about 5 hours. ... Most of the time I get to fly with my favorite flight lead ... me. Being No. 1 is better because you get to make all the decisions. Being the flight lead is a lot like having the remote control when I'm watching TV with my two brothers. They can have an opinion about my channel selection but ultimately, they have to watch what I want."

Nearing the end of his last tour there: "The best sight, I think, will be the last takeoff heading west."

-- Jody Callahan: 529-6531

Copyright 2006, commercialappeal.com - Memphis, TN. All Rights Reserved.

[exile]

RIP...............

[Rich Z]

Damn.... Sorry to hear that. Never thought about the magnesium problem. Used to burn shavings of the stuff when I was a kid. There was a machine shop right in back of my house and we learned how to recognize those shavings when they tossed them out. Hard to get started but once it's started, it STAYS started. No WAY you are putting that stuff out without special equipment. Matter of fact, it will blind you to even look at that flame.

[ynkedad]

Man, what a shame!

[MR.LT1]

[Formula Outlaw]

Horrible news. Peace and prayers to his family and friends....RIP....

[Corvette Concepts]

It is truly a shame to lose a fellow enthusiast and a war hero in such a way. God bless his family and friends and the folks in the neighborhood who witnessed this tradedy.

[sandman]

As a veteran myself serving in the Middle East many times I salute him and his Family. What a tragic thing for a man so young and in the prime of his life. My flag will be lowered to half staff. RIP Sandman