US extreme athlete Jessi Combs was considered the "fastest woman on four wheels". Now she has paid the attempt of a new speed record with life. The 39-year-old crashed with her vehicle in the Alvord Desert in the US state of Oregon, police said on Wednesday. "The cause of the accident is currently unknown and the subject of investigations," said the police. The accident happened therefore already on Tuesday.
The 39-year-old belonged to the racing team "North American Eagle", which announced the death of the driver on its website. Her family also confirmed the deadly crash on social media. Combs was alone in the jet-powered racing car.
"On August 27, at about 4:00 pm, we received an emergency call announcing that a rocket-propelled vehicle set a speed record in the Alvord desert, which had been killed," the police said.
Jessi Combs passed away yesterday while attempting to break a country speed record. So I had the chance to try this record but it was not my turn ... this hits home for me. Godspeed, Jessi Combs. pic.twitter.com/bfE2N9Cy2k
- Valerie Thompson (@ValerieThompson) August 28, 2019Also known from US television programs, the pilot set a speed record of 640 kilometers per hour in 2013 with a jet engine. She wanted to break her own record now. As early as 2018, according to specialized websites, it had exceeded a speed of 680 kilometers per hour. However, due to a mechanical problem, the record could not be officially confirmed.
Combs had the goal of breaking a 1976 set by the stunt woman Kitty O'Neil record: The "fastest woman in the world" had reached then in the Alvord Desert 825 km / h. Her vehicle had three wheels - that's why Combs was the fastest woman on four wheels.
She has participated in such shows as MythBusters, XTreme 4 × 4 and All Girls Garage.