Accident Investigation Calculator

Flight paths of vehicles

Please read the following instructions carefully.

This calculator uses the following formula:

$V=L<!--\; invisible\; times\; -->\sqrt{\frac{g}{2\cos \theta (L\sin \theta -h\cos \theta )}}$

If the vehicle is on a downward slope, Ø is then negative.

If the landing point is higher than the launch point, then h is positive.

If the landing point is lower than the launch point, as in the diagram, then h is negative.

On hill brows, the launch point may not be at the hill brow. It is more likely to be at some point prior to the hill brow and will depend on the vertical radius of curvature.

Fill in the three values below and click the Calculate button.

Slope angle (degrees): Ø =

Launch height (metres): h = Note: h is negative in the above diagram.

Flight distance (metres): L =

Calculate

Launch speed of vehicle:

Clear all values

Back to main calculator menu.