Space Florida Sues Testing Company After 2020 KSC Runway Crash Damaged $561,595 Transformer

Space Florida Seeks Reimbursement After Runway Test Vehicle Struck KSC Transformer

Space Florida has filed a lawsuit against Johnny Böhmer Proving Grounds, LLC, saying a 2020 test-vehicle crash at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center (KSC) Launch and Landing Facility (LLF) damaged a NASA-owned electrical transformer, resulting in $561,595 in repair and restoration costs.

According to the complaint, the incident began when an unexpected bird strike forced the test vehicle off course. The vehicle exited the north end of the 2.8-mile (15,000-foot) runway at low speed and struck the transformer. No injuries were reported.

Space Florida — which manages the LLF under a 30-year agreement with NASA — says it paid for repairs and related infrastructure work but was only partially reimbursed by the contractor and its insurer. The lawsuit states the company and its insurer made two payments totaling $262,000, leaving a remaining balance of $299,593.

The suit, filed Nov. 25 in Orange County Circuit Court, alleges breach of contract and negligence. As of Dec. 4, Johnny Böhmer Proving Grounds had not filed a legal response. A non-jury trial is scheduled for May 17 at the Orange County Courthouse in Orlando.

"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 said in a statement.

"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."

For context, the LLF’s 15,000-foot runway — one of the longest in the world — hosted 218 ground tests last year for clients including Tesla, Volvo and the Florida Highway Patrol. In March, a Maserati MC20 running without a human driver reached 197.7 mph on the runway, breaking the autonomous-driving speed record. Space Florida notes the runway has less than a 1% elevation change end-to-end, making it exceptionally flat.

Space Florida is asking the court to recover the validated, outstanding repair costs so taxpayer funds are not burdened and to hold the contractor accountable for the damages it says occurred during contracted testing operations.

Case Details: Space Florida v. Johnny Böhmer Proving Grounds, LLC — Filed Nov. 25, Orange County Circuit Court. Allegations: Breach of Contract, Negligence. Trial: Non-jury, May 17, Orange County Courthouse, Orlando.