There is not enough altitude to regain control. If anything that unlimited had the best "controled" crash I'd seen but I emagine the driver was a few inches shorter after being piledrived into the lake.
I think best unlimited controlled crash has to go to Miss Beacon Plumbing last year in Evansville IN. See the video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c65F3Bvn2y8
I believe all the modern unlimited hydros have canards (Fancy name for a front wing) controlled by a pedal, but it can only do so much. They were interviewing Miss Madison driver Steve David in Madison a couple years ago between heats on the podium and he said something like "I think a lot of people don't realize how much we use that pedal...and how little it actually does."
Flat bottom drag racer and last years Ahern Rentals unlimited driver David Bryant posts here on Hot Boat. Wonder if he could add some input. He posts under Davey B.
Nasa has done tons of reasearch on using computer operated flaps and spoilers to control airflow. I think a lot of it could be probably be applied to fast boats that hasn't been. A lot of it is public knowledge and even common knowledge among aeronautical engineering students and pilot types. Wind tunnel testing is expensive and pretty much way out of budget for most boat designers, but I've always wondered if maybe wouldn't be a bad idea to work on trying to get a research grant for a race boat related saftey project through an aeronautical university like Embry Riddle in Tucson or someplace like that.:idea: