I was reading about the stealth accdent at thorpe park that happend about a week ago on another forum


Apparently this is what happend.
There was a technical problem with the launch. The As the train left the station there was a problem and the ride was E-Stopped. However by this point the train was nearing the end of the launch run. The ride operators face went pale as they all put their hands to their heads in horror. The brake fins raised and were hit by a moving part of the ride, which is not the train. The train then left the catch car and continued to make a normal circuit. However it did pass slowly over the top. Smoke then started pouring from the end of the launch track, it smelt of rubber/plastic burning.
Due to the E-Stop activation the train could not be moved from off-load to load and thus clear the off-load block. Therefore the train came to stop in waiting, and the ride and surrounding area were evacuated.

whilst reading about that i came accross these videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tlHDDzfP4...rpe%20park

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VT7FxqD6W...h=rollback


Stealth doesnt make the curcit It gets to the top of the top hat, stalls and than rolls back. These videos are on seprate occassions.

And than I came accross these videos for Top Thrill Dragster:

The coaster car stalls on top of the top hat and stays there untill a ride op goes up and releases the cable/brakes.
http://www.xtremecoastin.com/videos/misc...k_2005.htm

The coaster car stalls on top of the top hat and stays there untill a ride op goes up and releases the cable/brakes.

Top Thrill Dragster Rolls Back.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2NUXo_DSEIo



I also rember when Oblivion at Alton Towers first opend the computer overided itself and shut the ride down leaving a coaster car with riders stuck on the brake hold on the vertical drop.


I Just wounderd how common things like rides stalling, or muafunctioning ect was and if anybody had any other examples,info, Pictures or videos ect.

Its funny to think that they spend hugh amounts of money for these things and yet they still go wrong

Launched coasters are still relatively New to the coaster world, im sure in about 5 years time, when the engineers have learnt from design mistakes, these events will be unheard off

Nothing is perfect in this world :?:

When I went to Alton Towers a few years ago I was walking under the runaway minetrain when it stopped and smoke started coming out from it. Also on the minetrain, the brakes once malfunctioned when I was on it so it had to carry on doing circuits. Did about four till it eventually stopped...

When I went today the only thing which broke down was Spinball Whizzer. Rides today... theu always break down... well, actually, only new ones do. Older rides don't seem to...

I remember queuing for ages at Alton Towers when Air first opened. It must have been the most un-reliable coaster at that time. Coaster cars would stall on the hill climb after the short tunnel, and the track switcher just before the ride's 2 stations kept on breaking down, leaving 2 Air cars queued up on the brake run, and no way of getting to the station, lol.

Pleased to report that it never broke down when I was there last summer :P Spinball Whizzer had give up instead, being closed all weekend

If peeps want more info on the stealth incident, I found some things:

Thread / Pics here:
http://www.towerstimesforum.co.uk/viewto...sc&start=0

More discussions of the "Incident" here:
http://www.ultimaterollercoaster.com/for...read=26267

i have heard of similar events when coaster trains get stuck in the middle of a vertical loop, and of the top thrill dragster incident, but like the g-man said, launched coasters arent common and include reletively new technology-more complicated than normal coasters

Yeh I suppose anything new to the sceane is going to have teething problems.

I just hope that if it happend to me I wouldnt have to go and q again LOL

i know this isnt relevant to the topic, but ive got say it, has anyone seen some footage on TV about Coasters, where an American Celebrity opened a ride, givin it all the bigun.On the way round, he got hit by a flying Goose, and came back to the station, with claret all over his face and a battered ego,....anyone seen it, i had to pick myself of the floor lol

Not meaning to double post, but i was checking Thorpes website 2 days ago, and Stealth still hasnt been fixed.What id like to know, is if the accident was down to human error?

I wouldnt think so But it would be worth looking into as i dont think thats been mentioned or not