July 27, 20178 yr comment_251213 Vortex's reference is KMG-2001-FRB-32-033-01 so is not affected it seems.
July 27, 20178 yr comment_251215 Sad incident - Vortex was closed all day today Thursday I suspect there would be some sort of investigation but nobody present.
July 28, 20178 yr comment_251227 16 hours ago, planenut said: Sad incident - Vortex was closed all day today Thursday I suspect there would be some sort of investigation but nobody present. Yeah, I asked Thorpe why Vortex was down all yesterday because thats when I visited and I mentioned about the Ohio State Fair accident; and they replied with the thoughts to all affected in that accident but vortex is temporarily closed as a precaution and they are in close contact with HSE on developments as all our rides undergo thorough maintenance regimes and subject to annual inspections by accredited third party inspection bodies and regular audits by HSE.
August 1, 20178 yr comment_251329 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-40788040 This article details KMG Afterburners that are closed in the UK - as mentioned, Vortex does not appear affected or under scrutiny.
August 1, 20178 yr comment_251330 There's an Afterburner at a fair near me that's in operation, maybe it is a difference in terms of... something in the models...
August 1, 20178 yr comment_251333 Yep - the safety alert from KMG specified particular model numbers/makes - this just confirms the fact.
August 1, 20178 yr comment_251342 On 27/07/2017 at 7:38 PM, planenut said: Sad incident - Vortex was closed all day today Thursday I suspect there would be some sort of investigation but nobody present. Vortex was up and running today.
August 1, 20178 yr Author comment_251344 32 minutes ago, planenut said: Vortex was up and running today. It was excluded from the prohibition list as it's model number is outside of the affected, probably because it's older than the one involved so doesn't contain the part which has failed.
August 7, 20178 yr Author comment_251601 Statement released from KMG. Doesn't read well for them to be honest; excessive corrosion of an interior (ie not visibly checkable) beam meant an arm simply sheared off. Does not appear to be anything the owner had done wrong or neglected to check ride properly under previous guidelines, new technical bulliten issued to ensure sufficient checks completed to this potential weakness in future. Does not really instill confidence! Pic shows it looks as if it has just torn apart. Dear Mr./Mrs., KMG has conducted an investigation to determine the cause of an accident with a KMG Fireball. In this accident which happened on July 26th, a passenger carrying gondola detached from the supporting sweep arm of the ride also known as a KMG Afterburner. This particular ride was 18 years old. The investigation included a visit to the accident scene in the company of a team of experts at the accident site in Columbus, Ohio, USA. They reviewed video footage of the incident and conducted a metallurgical inspection of the ride. It was determined that excessive corrosion on the interior of the gondola support beam dangerously reduced the beam’s wall thickness over the years. This finally led to the catastrophic failure of the ride during operation. KMG has reviewed the results of the inspection and worked with industry safety experts to develop an inspection protocol in the form of a Safety Bulletin to allow properly inspected and maintained rides to safely reopen. We trust to have you informed sufficiently. Albert Kroon Product Manager
August 8, 20178 yr comment_251607 I didn't know the arm sheered clean off! I assumed it had broken bolts, I refuse to watch the videos, they aren't safe for life. That is extremely concerning, if a simple and extensive maintenance program for assessing this part of the ride can't be drawn up, could this be the beginning of the decline of the Afterburner?
August 8, 20178 yr comment_251616 They'll just ask for more regular checks at an internal level... Anything even approaching a hairline fracture will be replaced instantly, as it's quite likely that this could have developed since the annual testing (assuming the American ADIPS works to a similar level as the UK)...
August 8, 20178 yr Author comment_251622 From the wording of the statement I think it is quite clear that the previous KMG guidance did not identify this as a particular area or known weakness that required any specific checks. It is telling that they have issued a new technical bulletin rather than highlighting a previously issued bulletin or directive; this is something they had not told owners to do before or they would have very clearly highlighted that they had, which would have been much better for their reputation. At a guess it is probably an area that was given an expected life significantly longer than the 18 years the ride has lasted so had not been subject to rigorous checks yet. The question then is why did it fail? I suppose it's either that it was simply not strong enough by design (unlikely), an unnoticed fault in fabrication (possible), or something about the rides usage, storage or maintenance has caused the fatigue to occur prematurely (likely). I'm going to guess the outer casing has held in water over time, rotting the inside. Whether the fault then lies with KMG for a design which could allow this to happen, or owner for letting it occur, will likely be the subject of some long and expensive court battles...
August 23, 20178 yr comment_252002 Since we don't have a Bobbejaanland thread... http://www.looopings.nl/weblog/8365/Bobbejaanland-sluit-achtbaan-Typhoon-na-botsing.html The Belgian park's Gerstlauer Eurofighter, Typhoon, had a "low speed" crash in the station last week. Seems like the final breaks didn't work properly, causing the car that had finished the circuit to crash into the one being loaded in the station. The ride is closed whilst it's investigated. Oh Gerstlauer...
August 23, 20178 yr comment_252012 Not been a great time for ride accidents lately, especially on Gersts recently. Hopefully no major injuries.
September 17, 20177 yr Author comment_252751 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41300031 Man dies in Hong Kong Ocean Park haunted maze attraction. Don't go into restricted areas appears to be the message, although some maze restricted areas can be easily stumbled into.
October 28, 20177 yr comment_253653 On 17/09/2017 at 11:05 PM, pluk said: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-41300031 Man dies in Hong Kong Ocean Park haunted maze attraction. Don't go into restricted areas appears to be the message, although some maze restricted areas can be easily stumbled into. This was a genuinely terrifying-sounding incident since it was an alone attraction as well. The section had no actors in, so the person in question went into a restricted area unknowingly, going to dangerous areas all thinking it was part of the experience. It's hard to imagine how the build up to that must feel. --- In other news, Bobbejaanland (again!) - A man was seriously injured after falling between cars on the park's waltzer-like ride: https://nos.nl/artikel/2200183-man-zwaargewond-door-val-uit-attractie-bobbejaanland.html
October 30, 20177 yr Author comment_253676 On 28/10/2017 at 6:48 PM, BaronC. said: In other news, Bobbejaanland (again!) - A man was seriously injured after falling between cars on the park's waltzer-like ride: https://nos.nl/artikel/2200183-man-zwaargewond-door-val-uit-attractie-bobbejaanland.html Thought that sounded a bit odd, to fall between the gaps on a waltzer some floor would have to be missing. This was an old superbob. On any of those old raised round rides it is possible to go between the cars into the pit, but you'd normally have to be doing something quite silly to manage it!
October 30, 20177 yr comment_253691 Ah thanks - I couldn't for the life of me remember what exactly it was called! In sad news though, it has been confirmed that the man has died due to his injuries.
November 9, 20177 yr Author comment_253920 No injuries fortunately, waltzer car comes of ride in Wales. Always a concern of mine when riding this sort of ride, never heard of it happening before though!
November 9, 20177 yr comment_253921 2 hours ago, pluk said: No injuries fortunately, waltzer car comes of ride in Wales. Always a concern of mine when riding this sort of ride, never heard of it happening before though! Lucky there are no serious injuries, this type of ride can really generate loads of force.
November 11, 20177 yr comment_253948 For me, it all depends on the cause of an accident as to whether I would consider going on certain rides in the future. I have no problem going back on the Smiler as the ride has always been mechanically safe and was an operational failure. As for KMG Afterburners, the picture is pretty condemning for me. It wasn’t even a joint, to see the structural steel beam torn off like a baguette, and the fact they can’t be easily inspected is very concerning. I certainly won’t be going on the one at Winter Wonderland this year.
November 11, 20177 yr comment_253950 1 hour ago, Stuntman707 said: For me, it all depends on the cause of an accident as to whether I would consider going on certain rides in the future. I have no problem going back on the Smiler as the ride has always been mechanically safe and was an operational failure. As for KMG Afterburners, the picture is pretty condemning for me. It wasn’t even a joint, to see the structural steel beam torn off like a baguette, and the fact they can’t be easily inspected is very concerning. I certainly won’t be going on the one at Winter Wonderland this year. The thing is, that now it has happened all rides had to be checked and will need to be regularly re checked, to prevent this happening again. Ultimately the american accident was allowed to happen as the showman stopped getting the ride services and checked by KMG, so the arm may not have been inspected to servicing specifications. KMG have an overall have one of the best saftey record in the industry, as a one off incident that has now been identified and measures put in place, it wont put me off riding one again.
November 12, 20177 yr comment_253979 the KMG XXL this year at WW is also brand newly built straight from the KMG factory
December 15, 20177 yr Author comment_254673 Gator coaster derails in Greece, mother and children injured, owner and operator arrested. Ooops.
December 15, 20177 yr Author comment_254675 Valencia, Christmas Fair, Smashing Jump injurers riders when power cut causes ride vehicles to lower aggressively. Isn't there one of these at winter Wonderland this year?
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.