MERRITT ISLAND, Fla. – A car crash that apparently caused damage totaling more than half a million dollars is at the center of a lawsuit involving the Kennedy Space Center.
Space Florida, which manages and operates the Shuttle Landing Facility (SLF), filed a lawsuit late last month against Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds LLC, which had an agreement with Space Florida to conduct automotive testing activities at the SLF.
In the lawsuit, Space Florida accused Johnny Bohmer of breach of contract and negligence, stemming from an incident in 2020, when Space Florida said one of the defendant’s test vehicles “struck and damaged an electrical transformer located on the SLF premises.”
The lawsuit stated that the cost to restore the damaged transformer and related infrastructure was $561,594.54.
[WATCH: The future of the former space shuttle landing facility]
Attached to the lawsuit is the contract between the two parties, stipulating that Johnny Bohmer would cover the costs of any damage incurred.
Johnny Bohmer made two partial payments totaling $262,000 but has not paid the outstanding balance of $299,592.54, according to Space Florida’s complaint.
News 6 has reached out to Bohmer but has not heard back.
In response to a request for comment, Space Florida sent News 6 the following statement:
In 2020, Johnny Bohmer Proving Grounds LLC, a contractor operating at the Launch and Landing Facility, caused significant damage to NASA-owned electrical equipment. Under the NASA agreement, the contractor is responsible for repair costs. While an initial insurance payment was made based on an early cost estimate, the estimate was further revised with a more accurate repair cost. Despite multiple attempts to resolve the remaining amount and despite Space Florida providing the additional documentation needed, the contractor and its insurer have declined to reimburse the full cost of the damage. Space Florida takes seriously its responsibility to safeguard state and federal assets and as such all necessary repairs have been made with additional costs being covered by Space Florida. After repeated attempts to resolve this matter, Space Florida is seeking to recover the total, validated amount, to ensure taxpayer dollars are not burdened with repair costs and to maintain accountability by proper stewardship of state and federal assets.
A follow-up statement from Space Florida described the crash as being caused by an unexpected bird strike:
The incident occurred during routine aerodynamic testing at the Launch and Landing Facility, an activity previously conducted under NASA/KSC oversight and permitted under Space Florida’s management of the site. During one of these tests, an unexpected bird strike caused the test vehicle to exit the runway at low speed and make contact with an electrical power feed at the north end of the facility. No injuries occurred, and all environmental, safety, and hazmat protocols were properly followed. The costly damage was limited to a NASA electrical system.
While this was an uncommon and unforeseeable event, aerodynamic testing is an important activity conducted under strict guidelines that contributes to advancing technologies with broad benefits.
The details in the lawsuit are reminiscent of a separate instance when a testing vehicle crashed along the same runway.
[WATCH: A $3M hypercar going 250 mph crashed on the runway of Kennedy Space Center]
In 2024, News 6’s Erik von Ancken discovered through a public records request that a Hennessey Venom F5—one of the fastest cars in the world under development to attempt to break 300 mph — crashed during “straight-line testing” along the same runway at the Kennedy Space Center.
Five days after the crash, John Hennessey, CEO and founder of Hennessey Special Vehicles, said the $3 million hypercar was approaching 250 miles per hour when it lost control. The driver was able to walk away from the crash.