Leland Wykoff Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Carowinds has had an episode, Saturday, involving the sudden shutdown of WindSeeker and a two hour delay in getting people off the ride stuck at a height believed to have been 300 feet. Some other parks with WindSeekers have experienced similar issues. The Charlotte Observer has this story: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2012/07/14/3382885/tallest-carowinds-ride-malfunctions.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 The fact that there were only 25 people on it on a busy Saturday morning indicates a condition. The fact the paper did not go into how the guests were evacuated or treated by the park (see even The Sandusky Register, a notorious homer, by comparison) is quite instructive. This type of event is not something any park or ride manufacturer wants. Also, don't miss the comments. A somewhat more detailed article: http://wap.wsoctv.com/site.htm?targetUrl=http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/WindSeeker-malfunctions-carowinds-riders-stuck-air/nPs9J/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tuxedoman52 Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Maybe there was too much wind and the cables got tangeld or stuck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
milesharrison Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Like Terpy said, the fact that only 25 people were on is a little odd... I was looking at the clipboard that they use to assign seats last time I was at KI, and they do have to balance it depending on capacity and wind speed, something along these lines: 0-10 mph: If less than 64 riders are in line, fill the opposite colored sections, skipping every 8 pods (32 riders, max I think...don't take my word on that though) 10-20 mph: Fill at least all of the outer seats 20-30 mph: 64 riders minimum. 30 mph+: Ride cannot operate. So it seems like 25 isn't enough...no matter what the wind speed was... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
windshawne Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 Maybe not enough riders was the cause? Computer got confused? Just speculating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PKIVortex Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 The park opens at 10am, maybe they were just not many people over in that area of the park yet. When I went to Carowinds last April, many of the rides were walk on for the few hours the park was open. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RollerNut Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 And this is news how...all of the WindSeekers have broken down. Machines break down unexpectedly, this wont be the last time for WindSeeker. Drop Zone has stranded riders before and the Fire Dept got the riders off from 150 feet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderbeast1968 Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 I have read several stories on WindSeeker rides being shut down. I was wondering, is this ride too high, for safe operation? The wind at 300ft. is always whipping around, unlike on the ground. I was on The Eifel Tower and the wind was really strong up there. I could only imagine what it woud do to The WindSeeker. I am not against this ride, I have been on Cedar Point's version, just wondering?? I was at Kings Island in June, and the ride was open and closed several times during the day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 ^^ reminds me of the scene in Jurassic Park where Ian Malcolm states that "Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could that they didn't stop to think if they should." Just because you can build a 300+ foot tall swing set or a ride that can go 150 MPH, does that mean you should do this? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coastermike Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 ^^ reminds me of the scene in Jurassic Park where Ian Malcolm states that "Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether they could that they didn't stop to think if they should." Just because you can build a 300+ foot tall swing set or a ride that can go 150 MPH, does that mean you should do this? Ian also says this: "God help us; we're in the hands of engineers". Mike B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bkroz Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 And this is news how...all of the WindSeekers have broken down. That sounds like news to me. Bolded for emphasis. One might wonder: what's going on here? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 When something that's not supposed to happen happens, it's news. (The old man bites dog story). Surely people aren't supposed to be stranded midair on an amusement ride for hours on end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Original Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 The swings were always my favorite as a child. Growing up... the swings got... not as fun. On the way home from KI one day I thought It would be so cool to make a super high swings. About 2 years later... POOF! The wind seeker was born. I Swear some one hacked into my mind or somthing.... because I never told anybody about that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 When something that's not supposed to happen happens, it's news. (The old man bites dog story). Surely people aren't supposed to be stranded midair on an amusement ride for hours on end. but the young man bites dog story is not good enough for news? love me some commas.... But in seriousness, why have the WindSeekers, company wide, appear to be stranding guests in the air... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 15, 2012 Share Posted July 15, 2012 A comma would not have fixed that. Sometimes English is a grand language. Terp, follower of brother H. L. Mencken. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Browntggrr Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 It's not the first time this summer Carowinds crews have had to address safety hazards. It can be debated if this is a story or not, but this comment is terrible journalism. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oldiesmann Posted July 16, 2012 Share Posted July 16, 2012 The fact that there were only 25 people on it on a busy Saturday morning indicates a condition. The fact the paper did not go into how the guests were evacuated or treated by the park (see even The Sandusky Register, a notorious homer, by comparison) is quite instructive. This type of event is not something any park or ride manufacturer wants. Also, don't miss the comments. A somewhat more detailed article: http://wap.wsoctv.co...tuck-air/nPs9J/ Full version of that article, with video: http://www.wsoctv.com/news/news/local/WindSeeker-malfunctions-carowinds-riders-stuck-air/nPs9J/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creed Bratton Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 Looks like WindSeeker stranded riders yet again: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/07/28/4196761/carowinds-ride-malfunctions-stranding.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 ^ The comments on that article are interesting. If the comments are to be believed, they shut down all the other rides, continued to sell tickets and let people in without telling them none of the rides were open, and ejected a family from the park because they tried to tell people in line to buy tickets that the rides were closed. If those statements are true (and I take anything in newspaper article comment sections with a heavy dose of salt), that is downright... what's the word here?... slimy to refuse to allow guests to know that the rides are all closed until they are inside the park. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 http://www.wcnc.com/news/local/Carowinds-WindSeeker-suddenly-stops-working-again-217315491.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Creed Bratton Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 I hate that the reporter used the term "accidents" on the video from Terp's link. No-one was hurt, no damage, etc. not an accident. Edit: I understand the standard definition of an accident. To call it an accident in light of recent events where no one was hurt and no one was killed, seems a bit much. I find the term accident implies injuries or death. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheCrypt Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 It was an accident that riders got stranded, however. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shark6495 Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 Accident: mishap, misadventure, unplanned event/circumstance.... This is an accident. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KI FANATIC 37 Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 These poor things. They just can't get up and running.... 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Interpreter Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 Actually, it's the getting down part that seems to be hard. SIX's choice is looking better and better...so far. 7 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ride On_17 Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 Maybe Cedar Fair should have gone with those after all... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
upstop Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 Wonder if they brought out the yellow contraption. If so it still took two hours to get them down... I cant imagine if the wind was strong enough to shut it down at 30 mph, stops the ride, and then increases to 50 or 60 mph with tornado-like conditions. These things should automatically lower if high-wind is detected. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedevariouseffect Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 Getting it up is the easy part Getting it back down seems to be difficult Insert pun here Ugh...this is what happens when you go with a company that's built a prototype of this caliber and has never built anything this dynamic before...epic fail Also edit: from the mondial site, I wonder about this lol The Mondial Quick Response Service is well known throughout the world. All Mondial machines are designed to limit the amount of down time to a minimum, but in the unlikely event of any problems, the Mondial Quick Response Service Team solves the problem in the shortest possible time. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcgoble3 Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 What goes up will come down. Eventually. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thedevariouseffect Posted July 29, 2013 Share Posted July 29, 2013 If it last more than four hours, seek help immediately 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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