Got an e-mail today from the Corvette Museum with information about a sinkhole inside the Skydome.  Several vintage Corvettes were destroyed or damage (total damage still undetermined).  The e-mail read in part:

 

"It is with heavy hearts that we report that eight Corvettes were affected by this incident.

Those cars include:

• 1993 ZR-1 Spyder on loan from General Motors
• 2009 ZR1 “Blue Devil” on loan from General Motors

The other six vehicles were owned by the National Corvette Museum including:

• 1962 Black Corvette
• 1984 PPG Pace Car
• 1992 White 1 Millionth Corvette
• 1993 Ruby Red 40th Anniversary Corvette
• 2001 Mallett Hammer Z06 Corvette
• 2009 White 1.5 Millionth Corvette

"The Fire Department has estimated the size of the hole is 40 feet across and 25-30 feet deep."

 

Here are some pictures of the vehicles that went down into the sinkhole and some readerboard information about each vehicle - https://picasaweb.google.com/104141664400556036641/2014SinkholeInSkydome02?noredirect=1.  They also shared some YouTube videos too as they sent in a helicopter drone to access the damage - http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL5Syfif2eF-PwKw8EkYQ3hW12km1LzacC. 

 

Can't believe the size of this sinkhole.  It looks like they were lucky this collapse did not occur earlier as the flooring looks very thin and could have collapsed anytime.  Fortunately it happened at 5:44 am this morning.

 

My Vette remains safe in my garage....

 

Best regards,

You can only take so much water out of the ground before something has to give. This is getting crazt.

Glad no one got hurt or killed looks like it might be part of a cave network Kentucky has a lot of caves. Also I'm glad that my vette is safe in the garage!!!!!!!!!!

That concrete floor is very, very thin. I would have expected at least 12" with substantial rebar in the floor, especially given how much weight it had to bear. :shok:

You have to remember though that this is an old building, it's not built to modern standards. My house is only about 80 years old but underneath my living room floorboards there's only soil! Ignore me, I didn't realise it was only built in 1994, I thought it was from the 50s!

 

Presumably that area isn't needed to hold the dome up, hence the use of standard slab on grade construction for light loads, definitely not intended to span voids or be structural! But it didn't have much to hold up, cars are only light and they spread their load out across four points, hence the lack of rebar beyond what's needed to stop cracking. Ultimately, the weight was suppose to be supported by the Earth underneath.

I didn't even think about the lack of rebar.  That would have probably saved the structure from collapsing immediately.

 

 

 

it might be part of a cave network Kentucky has a lot of caves. Also I'm glad that my vette is safe in the garage!!!!!!!!!!

 

They just built this structure not too long ago and I would suspect they checked for caves.  Kind of makes you wonder if there are any under the main museum and where you can take delivery of a new one.  Nice to hear another Vette owner is a fellow flight simmer.

 

Best regards, 

I didn't even think about the lack of rebar. That would have probably saved the structure from collapsing immediately.

 

 

They just built this structure not too long ago and I would suspect they checked for caves. Kind of makes you wonder if there are any under the main museum and where you can take delivery of a new one. Nice to hear another Vette owner is a fellow flight simmer.

 

Best regards,

What year is yours mine is a 99 C5

What year is yours mine is a 99 C5

An 08 C6 LT3 Crystal Red.

 

Best regards,