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Windseeker ride malfunction strands Knott's visitors


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The WindSeeker registered an inaccurate read in an electrical safety switch, Blazey said, though there was no actual problem with the ride. It stopped all motion automatically as a safety measure.

There were 15 people on the ride, which stalled as they were on their way to the top of the 300-foot pillar around 7:20 p.m. Maintenance crews had to manually raise the ride the rest of the way to the top before they could lower it to the ground, Blazey said. The process took about three hours; no one was hurt.

http://www.ocregister.com/entertainment/ride-370811-park-WindSeeker.html

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At least when Cedar Point's broke down, riders only had to be manually cranked downwards. Those already afraid of the ride must have been absolutely petrified when they realized they were being hand-cranked to the top.

At least at 7:20pm, dehydration and sunburn probably weren't issues. I hope they all received just compensation, as a 3-hour evacuation time is ridiculous from a guest standpoint.

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I rode WindSeeker this past weekend and have to say, I was completely unnerved. I have no idea how those people lasted up there for 3 hours.

I have ridden it before, but Friday night was windy. Well when we got about 3/4 of the way up, the wind blew just as I decided to turn and look outward (to the right - I was seated on the outside seat.) It caused me to panic and I spent the rest of the ride looking down at the center of the two seats holding on for dear life.

I'm not usually afraid of heights - when I feel secure - but I sure didn't feel secure on WindSeeker.

I do think part of it is my subconcious. It's as though my mind expects the chair to drop from underneath me at any given time - like a Drop Tower.

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Why dont they have a manual over ride? YOu think being that high up maintenance would be able to over ride the rides computer and bring them safely down in a few minutes.

Apparently because the ride was designed not to run at all if a fault is detected, so the gondola must be lowered by hand. Which apparently takes 3 hours. If someone would have had a medical issue while stuck at 300', that wait could have been very bad.

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15 people on the ride? Could the problem at fault be the fact that the ride was running at less than 1/4 the intended capacity?

I doubt that would be why. I've been on the same WindSeeker when there were only a few people on, and it ran just fine. Sometimes they run it half full, or quarter full if there aren't enough riders. I've always seen somebody with a clipboard and a chart telling people where to sit.

(Also, they run it empty when they test it.)

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15 people on the ride? Could the problem at fault be the fact that the ride was running at less than 1/4 the intended capacity?

I doubt that would be why. I've been on the same WindSeeker when there were only a few people on, and it ran just fine. Sometimes they run it half full, or quarter full if there aren't enough riders. I've always seen somebody with a clipboard and a chart telling people where to sit.

(Also, they run it empty when they test it.)

Balancing is a meticulous task. Why do you think the ride operators are so strict about where guests are placed on Giant Wheel @ the Point? How about the Monster at the Island of Kings? WindSeekers? If a gondola, arm, or other means of conveyance is offbalance by the slightest, it will totally mess up how the ride performs, and could possibly end up in an injury or two.

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Ah, I understand where you are coming from now, kblanken. I should have rephrased my query. What I was getting at is could the problem be that due to the low number of riders, the operators told the guests they could sit wherever they please, thus imbalancing the gondola? If I'm not mistaken, the reason for the Carowinds' dilemma was for the sole reason of improper balancing.

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I have a question. How does the ride operate at such heights with the wind whipping around?

I have been on the ground, then go to the top of the Eifel Tower, and the wind is strong, up the high, but down below on the ground, the wind is minimal.

I am gonna comment on myself to complete my query. As my comment elludes, the wind is quite strong when I am on the observation deck, and WindSeeker is just about the same height as the tower.
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Guest TombraiderTy

If a gondola, arm, or other means of conveyance is offbalance by the slightest, it will totally mess up how the ride performs, and could possibly end up in an injury or two.

An injury or two? Unlikely. A computer error or something similar? Possibly.

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If a gondola, arm, or other means of conveyance is offbalance by the slightest, it will totally mess up how the ride performs, and could possibly end up in an injury or two.

An injury or two? Unlikely. A computer error or something similar? Possibly.

Anything's possible. I am in no way an expert, but on something like The Monster, couldn't the pull on one arm without a counteracting pull on the opposite result in the Camden Park incident of last year? I am not sure the exact logistics of what caused the Camden Park incident, so any and all help is appreciated.

Not trying to sound like a know it all or a jerk, but I would like to know your thoughts. :)

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