Why was the death of Ayrton Senna so controversial? [Part 3]

The greatest source of Controversy- was the steering broken?

Arguably the most controversial aspect of the death of Ayrton Senna is the cause of the crash. This is impart due to the trial not apportioning blame for the cause,  however the impartial investigation did conclude that the incident was a result of a steering failure – a view held by many fans and experts even today. This originates with early testing on the Williams FW16 where it was widely reported that Senna was largely dissatisfied with the driving conditions in the cockpit. Senna explicitly referred to the cramped driving position and discomfort. To amend this he asked for a modification to be made to the steering column to change the position of the wheel to allow more room in the cockpit – this is where the controversy centres. This adjustment is admitted to by the Williams Engineers, Technical Director Patrick Head and Chief Designer Adrian Newey. The steering column itself was a steel tube of 22mm diameter. To meet Senna’s request the column was modified with an extra section of 18mm diameter tube added and welded at both ends. (Seismic Seconds, n.d., p. 15:00) However after the accident, when the car was recovered the investigation found that the column was broken, this can be seen from the wreckage. Whilst the force of the impact at 131 mph can be attributed to why the column has physically detached from the car, the investigation concluded that the column had already developed a crack prior to the impact and had sheered at the point of modification. Professor Enrico Lorenzini stated, “The rod joining the steering wheel to the wheels was virtually sliced in half. It had been badly welded together about a third of the way down and couldn't stand the strain of the race. We discovered scratches on the crack in the rod. It seemed like the job had been done in a hurry... I have never seen anything like it". (Tremayne, 1995)The nature of the dispute therefore settles around the Williams mechanics and their apparent lack of thorough and safe modifications to the steering wheel, hence why many attribute it to the cause of the crash. Therefore this is seemingly a preventable death; as a result Senna’s crash is all the more contentious.

This theory is reflected in the on board footage of Senna’s final seconds. The steering wheel of Senna’s car had a notable yellow button protruding from the top left of his steering wheel. Ordinarily the button would have followed the normal trajectory expected from following the path of the steering wheel (a circular motion). However when CINECA, a consortium of research universities, analysed the footage with telemetric data they plotted the path of the yellow dot with red crosses.  On the previous lap the footage and data marked the button as moving in the correct and fixed circular fashion following the path of the steering wheel. However 10.56 seconds into lap 7 the button depressed 55mm below its normal position. (Hilton, 1999, p. 210) This is seemingly evident that the accident was caused by a broken steering column which as Senna turned was no longer attached, hence the video showing the car continuing straight on at Tamburello. Despite this evidence no convictions were made. As such the steering column constitutes to making the death of Ayrton Senna so controversial.

 

Yellow button top left.

The green crosses plot the regular movement of the yellow button.

The red crosses plot the depressed button.

However, this is not where the debate ends. The controversies continue as Williams claim that the steering column was never broken. They gave the black box, a data recording device, over to the Italian authorities. One of the parameters which they were recording was the power steering. This registered inputs based on the twisting force Senna was using to control the wheel. Prior to impact the data reads a force of -7.18 N/m2. Williams claim that this shows right up until impact the steering was working or else the result would have been 0.00. (Seismic Seconds, n.d., p. 16:08)Some still maintain that Williams’ claim is wrong. This is because the measuring device, a potentiometer, was located above the break point in the column. Due to the location it would have still have recorded Senna’s input, but the columns failure ensured that the steering did not respond to these inputs. As a result, the accident being attributed to a steering failure is still a likely explanation for the cause of the crash. (charrotest, 2009, pp. 3 - 4:14)Therefore the difference between the Williams and independent investigation’s conclusions are a considerable cause for controversy.

Further controversies arise over the reason for the dramatic depression of the steering wheel. For the National Geographic’s documentary ‘Seismic Seconds: the Death of Ayrton Senna’ Williams claimed that the steering wheel was designed to elevate and depress. They released exclusive footage of a FW16 with a wheel being physically pushed up and down to replicate the movements of Senna’s wheel. (Seismic Seconds, n.d., p. 16:34)However this documentary was not aired until years later. Thus giving the Williams team an opportunity to clear their name by constructing their own secret footage. What’s more there is a wealth of evidence to suggest that this video was made after the events of Imola in a cover up attempt. This theory exists because although the Williams secret footage appears to clarify that Senna’s wheel was supposed to move up and down, thus acquitting them of manslaughter, it is inconsistent. Whilst reserve driver David Coulthard testified in court saying that the observed movement was normal, (Undisclosed, 1996-2005) on board footage from the first two races of the season, Imola practice and qualifying at no point shows a steering wheel moving beyond the expected circular pattern. (charrotest, 2009, pp. 3 - 5:24)Nor does this occur on the first 6 laps of the actual race. It is only seen prior to Senna leaving the track. As such it is quite possible to conclude that firstly, Williams are still accountable and secondly, they were guilty of perverting the course of justice by fabricating this new video. Therefore the steering alone remains an incredibly contentious issue surrounding Senna’s death, ensuring it remains such a controversial event.