Breaking the ice! Man crashes during ice speed world record attempt

M/S Arctic Arrow's first test run at Bear Lake in Manawa, Wisconsin
W/S Spectators
SOT, Kurt Anderson, Rocket sled pilot: "Well I'm hoping to better a long-standing record that was set in 1981 by Sammy Miller. He went 247 mph (397 km/h) on ice on Lake George. And I want to better that record so I built an Arctic Arrow, I started building it in 2015 and I'm ready."
M/S Arctic Arrow
M/S Arctic Arrow
M/S Kurt Anderson standing by Arctic Arrow
M/S Arctic Arrow motor
SOT, Kurt Anderson, Rocket sled pilot: "It's a hydrogen peroxide motor that develops steam so it takes 90 percent hydrogen peroxide and it decomposes it into steam which creates an enormous amount of thrust."
M/S Arctic Arrow arriving on lane
W/S Arctic Arrow rocket sled arriving
M/S Arctic Arrow's cabin
M/S Arctic Arrow's second run and crash
W/S People and rescue workers gathering around Arctic Arrow
W/S Damaged sled
SOT, Kurt Anderson, Rocket sled pilot: "It's racing you know. I don't know what to say other than anytime you're going to go after something like this there's risks. And I will say that, you know, we built this thing to withstand this kind of crash so, you know, I'm protected. I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow but there's no broken bones, I feel fine. My blood pressure is kind of high, I think that's understandable. And, you know, I'll race another day. Safety is number one and that's one thing I never scrimp on."
W/S Damaged sled
M/S Damaged sled getting towed
SOT, Kurt Anderson, Rocket sled pilot: "You know, I guess I'm just going to have to re-assess and just look at kind of everything and then decide priorities, you know. There's other things that I've got to work on so, you know, I guess TBD, stay tuned."
W/S Bear Lake
W/S Sign at Bear Lake
SCRIPT
An attempt to break the ice speed world record failed when the pilot of the ice rocket Arctic Arrow, Kurt Anderson, crashed during his run in Wisconsin on Sunday.
"I'm hoping to better a long-standing record that was set in 1981 by Sammy Miller. He went 247 mph (396 km/h) on ice on Lake George. And I want to better that record so I built an Arctic Arrow., I started building it in 2015 and I'm ready," said Anderson before his failed attempt.
Footage shows Anderson first doing a test run, after which the sled was towed back to its tent for adjustments and re-fuelling.
On Anderson's second attempt, he got the sled up to speed, leaving a trail of steam behind him, but within seconds Anderson lost control of the engine and went flying off the track at full speed in a cloud of snow.
Safety crews rushed to the sled to find Anderson unharmed. Unfortunately, the sled sustained too much damage to make a third attempt.
"It's racing you know. I don't know what to say other than anytime you're going to go after something like this there's risks. And I will say that, you know, we built this thing to withstand this kind of crash so, you know, I'm protected. I'm sure I'll be sore tomorrow but there's no broken bones, I feel fine. My blood pressure is kind of high, I think that's understandable. And, you know, I'll race another day. Safety is number one and that's one thing I never scrimp on," said Anderson following the crash.
"I guess I'm just going to have to re-assess and just look at kind of everything and then decide priorities, you know. There's other things that I've got to work on so, you know, I guess TBD, stay tuned," he further added.
The current record for the highest speed on ice is 247.93 mph (398 km/h). It was set back in 1981 by Sammy Miller and has stood for the past 38 years.