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Accident at Alton Towers

No doubt there'll be a contributory technical failure, but the fact remains that a "test train" was sent around the track and then ignored.

Surely the ride op procedures will say "check the test train"? Can't imagine that not being in the Gerstlauer manual.
 
Remember Smiler has multiple trains. You'd have to send several empty for the original test to return to the station that only holds 2 trains. Before the one that stalled, there would have been a couple of test trains sent. The one with guests was probably the original test after returning perfectly fine.
 
I haven't read anything to suggest any injuries were 'life changing' but if that is the case that's just awful. My thoughts are with those who are injured.
 
Count them out, count them in. There could be a flaw in the defined procedure, but it's much more likely to be a human error via a failure to follow the process (probably compounded by something technical).

I'll be very surprised if AT aren't culpable.
 
WelcomeToOblivion said:
I haven't read anything to suggest any injuries were 'life changing' but if that is the case that's just awful. My thoughts are with those who are injured.
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Yeah unfortunately on the 10pm BBC news their reporter announced it's understood some of the riders have sustained "life changing" injuries. It's still on iPlayer, but it really is horrible to watch. It's horrific to hear what's happened to the people involved. I really can't bear to imagine how terrifying it must've been, and how much of an impact it will now have on them.
 
Ah that's a shocker, really hope it's not true and it's just like the rest of that article and scaremongering from the mongs at the Mail but it would make sense given previous reports.

Even ignoring all the what if's about why this happened, both Gertslauer and Alton are to blame for the ride valleying which is the ultimate cause of this incident, it's a known issue that as far as I'm aware they've done little to rectify.
 
The odd thing in that article is that eyewitnesses describe the populated train "stopping on the loop and then suddenly dropping and crashing."

Wouldn't have thought there's a block brake half-way round an inversion?

Could just be inaccurate, but the text is pretty specific.
 
^That's the thing. We've all heard of the ride vallying as it just doesn't have momentum. Didn't it go through a stage of morning-testing with water dummies? Vallying is a known problem with the Smiler...I suppose this was...unfortunately...the accident that was always going to happen :(

I hope the rumours about the guy losing his leg prove to be untrue though. Absolutely awful if they're true.
 
It's the Daily Mail, accuracy isn't quite their thing.

Most reports and video I've seen suggest the train was stopped on the lift when the train valleyed before carrying on after about 10 minutes.
 
Slayed said:
The odd thing in that article is that eyewitnesses describe the populated train "stopping on the loop and then suddenly dropping and crashing."

Wouldn't have thought there's a block brake half-way round an inversion?

Could just be inaccurate, but the text is pretty specific.
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Some people at college tell me stories about how they've been stuck vertical on The Smiler and upside down on Colossus, so I guess the eye witness just got a tad confused in all the commotion?
 
Whilst I highly doubt it stopped upside-down, I wouldn't be surprised if it were crawling through the element painfully slow, considering the other train stalled. I guess the "it stopped upside-down" is merely down to the amount of people who think coaster trains have breaks on them.
 
I haven't been able to watch the news but oh my goodness that is seriously awful. Just going out for a fun day with your mates and then that happening, can't even imagine it.
 
Aye English time, so working backwards as I have no clue of your time zone it'd be 10 hours ago from now.
 
Slayed said:
Count them out, count them in. There could be a flaw in the defined procedure, but it's much more likely to be a human error via a failure to follow the process (probably compounded by something technical).

I'll be very surprised if AT aren't culpable.
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It shouldn't be possible for a train to move into an occupied block during regular operation. But it did.
 
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