Knott's Berry Farm's Xcelerator Ride Failure
Posted by
Jason HerreraApril 30, 2010 8:00 AMIn September of 2009, at Knott’s Berry Farm theme park in Buena Park, California, two riders were struck with debris after a cable came loose on the Xcelerator roller coaster. A 12-year-old boy suffered lacerations to his leg and a male adult complained of back pain.
The California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) indicated that the accident could have been avoided had the ride's cable been inspected more often. According to DOSH, Knott's contacted the rides manufacture, Intamin, asking how often the ride should be inspected; however, they did not get an answer.'
More questions. How detailed would the instructions for the ride be, if when this ride opened, it was a first of its kind type of ride? The park's 19 days late with a 6-month inspection of the ride. What's the excuse? How does Knott's work their service schedule for Xcelerator? Number times it is launched?
Xcelerator's Stats
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Ride Manufacture: Intamin AG
Speed: 0-82mph in 2.3 seconds
Launch System: Hydraulic
Drop Angle: 90°
Height: 205'
Restraints: Lap bar and seat belt
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How'd the video of this incident get out? Who else is viewing my on ride video? You can read about how it may have got out here.
You can read about Knott's Berry Farm injuries at Knott's in 2009 via Amusement Safety Organization's website.
Interestingly enough, as of this blog, there was another ride failure involving an Intamin roller coaster.
I'll touch more on Intamin in a later blog.