'Fastest woman on wheels' Jessi Combs dies trying to break own record

The 39-year-old pronounced dead at the scene by police after jet car crashed in a desert in Oregon

Jessi Combs has died aged 39 after a crash. AFP

Racing driver Jessi Combs, considered the "fastest woman on four wheels," was killed in a car accident trying to break her own record, police said.

Combs' jet car crashed on Tuesday in the Alvord Desert where she was pronounced dead at the scene, officers in the northwestern US state of Oregon said.

The 39-year-old, earned her "fastest woman" title in 2013 when she hit 641kph, and police said the fatal crash occurred while "attempting to break" the record.

"Jessi Combs was pronounced deceased at the scene," the Harney County Sheriff's Office statement said. "The cause of the crash is unknown at this time and is currently being investigated."

Combs, who also appeared on various US television shows, previously tried to break her record in October.

According to industry media, she was able to exceed her previous speed to reach 777kph, but a mechanical problem meant the record couldn't be officially validated.

She had expected to do even better on Tuesday.

Combs, an accomplished mechanic, had challenged herself to beat American stuntwoman Kitty O'Neil's 1976 "fastest woman in the world" record, which was set on a three-wheel vehicle also in the Alvord Desert, at 823kph.