This is going to rival or exceed the Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom accident when the young girl lost her leg.  I fear from the news reports and design of the trains that multiple passengers will have lost appendages.  A very tragic event and I pray for all of those involved.

 

The continued thought I have reading the reports of the issues from the day is that the ride had been serviced numerous times and it was either left accidentally or intentionally in maintenance mode.  I hope this is not the case, for the employees involved.

 

Lastly, the Smiler will more than likely not operate again.

Former employees talk to the media, speculate about human error: http://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2015/jun/03/human-error-likely-in-alton-towers-smiler-crash-former-staff-claim

How will Smiler crash affect Alton Towers' reputation?

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-stoke-staffordshire-32993933

http://www.itv.com/news/update/2015-06-03/one-of-alton-towers-seriously-injured-leaves-hospital/

 

One of the seriously injured people from the Smiler crash has left the hospital. Hopefully they make a full recovery.

More:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsround/32990385

Alton Towers announced they are closed tomorrow as well.

I also saw this image on TowersTimes while browsing their thread on the accident.

Source: http://forum.towerstimes.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=40277#p821930

I'm sure more will be discovered, but as of now, I don't see how operator error alone could do this. It seems to me that the computer overrides any operator error.

 

It's the computer that allows the train to be dispatched. It won't dispatch until and unless the computer allows it, right? So for the employee who saw that all restraints had been checked and the dispatch light turns green to indicate that it's ready, what fault are they at? The system said it was a go, so they went. I'm sure we'll learn more, it just seems to me that the computer supersedes the operator anyway. At least, it's supposed to.

 

It's almost confusing how a train could valley (since that seems to be what happened) without anyone noticing, but employees wouldn't have had their eyes on the vast knot of track, would they? They'd trust the computer.Very strange.

But if the contraption was allowed to operate in maintenance mode with public aboard, is that not operator error?

I've been watching off ride footage...so far blocking seems to be followed. However a few 5 minute videos over the course of years doesn't do it justice.

If that system let a train drop off the lift and meet a valleyed car in that block, I'll be furious at Gerstlauer

The ride shouldn't be in maintenance mode loaded. Operations shouldn't even have a key for that, ever. The only two things I can think of is if maintenance was there operating the ride, given its technical issues earlier that's possible speculation. Second would be if the empty unit was set to he transferred off and transfer enable was selected. If that's the case and the ride went into full manual mode, again I'm going to be livid with Gerstlauer.

I've never been a ride op, so I don't know much, but this is just going on common sense: If they felt that something was wrong and they felt the need to send a test train with no guests, they maybe should not have loaded another train WITH guests until that train had come back into the station safely, and/or been inspected, and a problem had been ruled out. Somebody knew something wasn't quite right. They sent a train full of guests anyway. That in itself seems like operator error. Maybe not the crash itself, but the decision to send guests when a train was testing.

 

Not blaming the ride op. Just saying that maybe clearer policies about testing/loading should be made known in the future.

 Just remember kids, next time you're in line, and a ride goes down, NO complaints about empty trains running for a full cycle, or more. And yes, I have heard people in line complain about all trains cycling before they start reloading. These are huge, complex machines. 

  I don't care to speculate on where the problem started, that is for people much wiser than I. If it does come to light that it was left in a maintenance mode, I hope checks are put in to place to prevent loading while in said mode. 

...except maintenance can and does ride to sense things while in that mode. Not often, but it does occur.

  Responses are coming quick so I won't edit, in case this is a double post.

  Something as simple as the gates wont open, if in maintenance mode. 

Well we see how the riders lost legs in one picture. Oh and for the record. Carolina Goldrusher at Carowinds had a similar accident without passengers a long time ago. That's why it only has four trains instead the four it came with. The story is that one train valleyed in the tunnel and the second one went over the second lift. The accident happened during test runs.

four...four?

New math?

Oops, three trains. Goldrusher came with four but both were damaged. So they made one out of two.

There was an article that features updates that had a witness say that after the initial train had valleyed, the train full of people did stop on the lift. That sounds like the ride systems were working properly. That could only mean that either a maintence personnel did a manual advance of the train via maint. Mode without looking out on the track and assuming it was just a fault that needed to be reset or that a ride operator failed to call maintence and took it into their own hands and manually operated themselves. Assuming that the witness report is true

There are also some reports that guests (perhaps even those on the loaded train) noticed the valleyed train and attempted to alert the operators.

 

Obviously, take all of this and bury it under several tons of sodium chloride.

I heard about what happened from this thread, but I just read an article (http://www.pixelsattheparks.com/2015/06/03/the-smiler-not-so-happy-now/)that told of multiple problems that occurred with Smiler before this incident (I know this point has been discussed previously, I just didn't know the extent of the problems- especially knowing that one incident included the ride valleying during tests in the same spot where this accident occurred)! Oh my... 

...and wheels coming off...

Gerstlauer trains are similar even on this ride at Mall of America.

 

http://www.coastercommunity.com/photos/index.php/Parks/moa/SpongeBob-SquarePants-Rock-Bottom-Plunge5

 

I am sure that this incident will change many of the future ride.  It is always sad to see something like this happens.  As an enthusiast and an engineer, the community learns from this whatever the cause may have been.

Park to remain closed until the cause of the accident is determined; scrapping the ride being considered.

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/11650536/Alton-Towers-to-remain-closed-as-bosses-consider-scrapping-The-Smiler.html

I believe the "serious leg injuries" were previously discussed in this thread, but this article confirms that at least one of the patients needed a leg amputation as a result of the accident:

http://airgates.co.uk/2015/06/03/smiler-collision-results-in-loss-of-leg/

Gerstlauer trains are similar even on this ride at Mall of America.

 

http://www.coastercommunity.com/photos/index.php/Parks/moa/SpongeBob-SquarePants-Rock-Bottom-Plunge5

 

I am sure that this incident will change many of the future ride.  It is always sad to see something like this happens.  As an enthusiast and an engineer, the community learns from this whatever the cause may have been.

Have there been any reports of any other rides with those trains being closed as a precaution until the investigation is complete? Why has this particular installation been so problematic when others have not? My gut feeling on this is that theory of the ride being in maintenance mode is probably correct.

I can't believe that people are that close to the front of the train. You look at Intamin and B&M, at least the sit down models, have something in the very front of the cars.

Wow this is not good especially if this is the truth!

http://www.itv.com/news/2015-06-04/alton-towers-visitor-who-warned-staff-about-carriage-on-rollercoaster-told-to-mind-his-own-business/

Wow is right! If it is true they def should have listened to him.

I can't believe that people are that close to the front of the train. You look at Intamin and B&M, at least the sit down models, have something in the very front of the cars.

 

Riders being that close to the front of the train is nothing new.  Just look at your standard PTC train (Racer, Beast, Woodstock Express, Voyage, etc.)  Heck, even Adventure Express' Arrow train is the same way.

Hmm...

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