Incident on The Smiler 02/06/2015

[TomLad]

However, news is very fickle and I imagine this will have all but gone away by the start of next week.

Thinks back to when the Ebola outbreak was, for all media intents and purposes, over due them getting bored of the story

 

[Yalnix]

People have been killed on theme park rides before now yes, but I can't remember an incident which has been as widely publicised as this. It's been on the front pages of newspapers as well as national and international news channels. In that respect, the damage has already been done.

I don't think the death on Hydro received as much attention as this and that affected Oakwood for a long time. This will hurt the park for the next couple of years, no question. As for the Smiler, the brand has been tarnished forever, which is why I feel it needs to be rebranded in the not too distant future.

Yeah, I know what your trying to say but this is my point. The media bigged it up, It didn't need to go international but the way media works these days, it did. I'm criticizing the media's handling of the situation and because Alton Handled it well as Scott said this most likely won't really effect them.

 

[Benzin]

I'm sure the Texas Giant death, and many other deaths on rides prior to it have reached international media...

That's the modern way that news works, especially when most outlets just lift tweets and call that news (see the whole "Queen died in hospital" debacle today)...

People still ride NTG, and many other rides that have had worse incidents (Mindbender comes to mind)... The fickleness of people will shine through are per usual...

 

[MaxPower]

Oakwood is in no way a national brand though. In fact outside of enthusiast circles it's probably not really known of outside Wales...

The reason this has been huge news is because it is Alton Towers. A brand which is nationally (and to a lesser extent internationally) known and loved.

I'm aware of the differences in scale between Oakwood and Alton, I was just illustrating how bad publicity of any kind can affect a park of any size.

The sheer scale of the bad publicity in this instance is bound to have detrimental consequences to the business. No, it won't stop people visiting at all, but it will damage visitor numbers.

 

[Rob]

Given that "everyone's an expert" in this sort of situation, but thanks again Bantanium for sharing this, adds quite the twist to this tale. If it is Gerts. fault, how can there be other evidence to prove it is there fault without any other accidents on the two rides of recent years similar to the technology and build of The Smiler? This is where I feel The Towers may have to still compensate in a sense. Regardless, this deserves to be spread about rather than just on tumblr, certainly one of the more "anonymous ride expert" sources on the social media that is the more thorough.

Apart from a key fact appears to be wrong in said experts post. The train did apparently stop on lift 1, the ride system did it's job. The question is why, after around 10 minutes, did the ride re-start?

 

[Danny]

The sheer number of people defending and praising Towers on their Facebook page yesterday gives me hope. They vastly outweigh the sarcasm, the negativity and the selfish responses.

Given time, the media will have moved on and be barking up someone else's tree, the passengers will hopefully have fully recovered and will have inevitably received a juicy compensation sum, and the park's reputation will have been restored.

I guess this does mean they'll have to pull out all the stops to put on an epic Scarefest and Fireworks display just to sweeten it all off though [hint, hint].

 

[rightbackgranty]

The vast majority of news outlets - by which I mean reputable outlets (i.e. sky, BBC news) reduced the story to 3rd/4th pecking order by yesterday evening. The tabloids (inc Daily Mail) will beef this story up to sell papers - realistically, their main function as without sales they don't exist. Most news outlets aren't even pushing the story today. An accident happened, no-one lost their lives (thankfully) and it's not big news any more.

The support for the park and the industry on a whole has been good - in particular people seem reassured at the park staying shut - something I was worried may backfire. Give it time, people will forget - its human nature. There will be a few that refuse to enter the park but for each customer lost another will be gained, it's not a real issue.

Despite the severity of the issue all that can come from this is good - better safety, new practices and a diminished risk of it happening in the future - regardless of cause (computer v human error). Sadly, it's the worst way to learn.

 

[blackholes crow]

It's pretty much a given that the fact the train was unloaded and it was windy caused the first train to stall - there's not really much to speculate on that front. The issue is why a loaded train was allowed onto the circuit despite the first train valleying and not passing the relevant sensors.

maybe it did but judging on the size of the blockbrakes and the amount of weight of the train and personnel on board maybe, just maybe it was just enough to over power the brake cells and continue on its way (people on this site work at the park what pressure do the brakes work at is it 200 psi?) anyways because there worked by pneumatics and electric (induction magnets) if one fails they all will (wont they) loose air pressure-loose cylinders, loose electric, well the ride shuts down.

but it is possible to loose air pressure and not cause any effect to any other system on the ride if the compressor can keep up with the loosing air you will never know the difference until one or more systems are in use (station brakes and blockbrakes together) the closer you are to the source of power the less likelihood of knowing weather the systems at fault but the further you astray from the supply the greater you see the difference

ill try to explain it (for those that don't know about how pressure works) think of a hose pipe near the tap, the pressure blows you backwards add a few other hoses to the same tap your likely to get a little soggy add some more and its more like a dribble at your end but at the tap end its still at full pressure

so the station as its closer to the supply will still work at relatively the same pressure where as where you need it most at the brakes their maybe just inefficient air pressure to raise the brakes, even tho the servo is saying apply brakes
but thats just my theory on it.

 

[morgano]

ask-humanised-nemesis:

I feel I need to say this;

The accident that happened at Alton Towers yesterday, looking at all the mechanics behind rollercoasters are nothing to do with human error, it is technically impossible for any human error to be involved in it. The only way it was human error was by allowing people on the train and that is that, the rest, going by the mechanical science of rollercoasters is literally mechanical error.

This was something an actual engineer posted on Alton Towers facebook page yesterday explaining the mechanics behind rollercoasters, please give it a read since it may educate a lot of people on rollercoasters and how they work:

“Just to clear something up as there have been roughly a thousand misunderstanding’s of how roller coasters actually work, and what went wrong.

Firstly we need to clear up that trains are not manually released by staff when they feel like, every roller coaster is controlled by a computer system that controls every action that happens, meaning that unless the ride’s computer thinks that it’s safe, it is impossible to release a train out of the station. Meaning that I could train a five year old how to operate a modern day attraction, like The Smiler, and he/she could do so safely with minimal knowledge

Next, I will define a ‘block’, a block is a piece of track that is designed to be independently completed from start to finish, and have a means of safely stopping a train at both the entry and exit of the block. In train logic, it is absolutely imperative that no more than one train occupies the same block at any time! This has been a fundament of roller coaster design since inception, and is the product of the well studied ‘Absolute Block Signalling System’ designed in the early 19th century.

The aforementioned computer is therefore responsible for controlling all of the block sections on the ride, and at no point should a train be allowed to enter a block if another train has not yet cleared it, regardless of the fitness of the ride.

Now that we understand the basic concept of how trains are allowed to travel around a track, let’s get onto my theory of what went wrong, which are mainly based off of assumptions, which are based of my personal knowledge and experience.

The empty train most probably had an error message when it arrived into the station from its previous run, indicating something wrong with the train itself, the standard practice is to send the train around again, as most of the time it’s an erroneous flag from a vibration or force sensor, which are calibrated have exceptionally low headroom for error. So the empty train was sent out to see if there was actually a problem, and if the message had’ve been persistent the train would’ve been removed. Unfortunately, for one reason or another the train failed to complete a full circuit, either due to an actual fault, as indicated by the sensor, or due to lack of momentum; as the train was empty. Either way the train cleared the first block; between the station and lift hill 1, cleared the lift hill, and entered the second block; between lift hill 1, and lift hill 2.

Now at the point the empty train cleared the lift hill, and entered block section 2, the ride’s computer would’ve indicated to the operator that it is safe for the next train to depart. Seeing that there is no problem with this train, the operator proceeds as normal, dispatching the second train.

After this, what should’ve happened is that the computer should’ve indicated that for some reason train 1 is taking longer than usual to complete the second block, and then it would’ve realised very quickly that the train had stalled mid block.

At this point, the second train should’ve come to a halt on the lift hill, and not, for any reason have entered block 2. This didn’t happen.

Instead, for some reason that I’m sure will be found, train 2 entered the block as normal, and we’re all here now!

This logically is impossible, however one or more system must’ve failed, resulting in the accident, at no point is Alton Towers responsible for this, nor are any of the operating staff or engineers. The blame lies solely with Gerslauer GmbH, for their failure to properly test their software and electronics. My only major fear is how many other Gestlauer attractions have the same fault, which are just waiting for this to happen again!

My heart goes out to all of those involved, and I hope that you all get over this horrible freak accident with haste! Furthermore a big well done needs to go out to the Emergency Services, Alton Towers, Merlin, and all of the operations staff involved for having such a fantastic, efficient and relaxed response to this incident, I am very proud to have been a part of the magic!

The Smiler will not close, it may be closed for an indefinite period for the meantime, but it will reopen either later this season, or at the start of the next season. Sorry to those planning a trip to alton, but I wouldn’t expect the smiler to be open for at least a month.

Lastly, do not fret, or become instantly terrified of roller coasters just because of this, though it won’t help, you are 18 times more likely to be killed during a dance party than you are to be injured whilst enjoying a theme park attraction, more people die on the way to theme parks every year than have ever been killed in the entirety of the worlds theme parks, and lastly the chances of it happening twice are practically impossible, making The Smiler the safest roller coaster in the world!

So don’t batten down the hatches, lock away your children, and cancel your tips. Instead#SMILEALWAYS”

So please, for the love of god, do not blame the staff for this accident since they were powerless to do anything instances before the crash happened and don’t blame it too much on human error.

Please don’t let this accident stop you from going on any coasters in the future, they are still the safest things to ride in the world and besides you’d all miss the thrill too much anyway.

Finally, please don’t let this affect your judgement on Alton Towers, this is the first time since the park opened that an accident like this has happened. The FIRST ever time since the 1950′s [i think that’s roughly when it opened] this has happened, every coaster at the park will always have its technical difficulties, this was just one difficulty that led to an accident. The park is still the safest park in the world and those who are injured luckily aren’t dead and even one of them are now out of hospital which brings some light to the situation.

That is all, apologies for the long post.

From Tumblr, have a read if you want

This is wrong, the ride did stop for 10-15 minutes on the lift. The block section hadn't cleared and the ride shutdown.

 

[Bantanium]

YouTube comment: The current theory is that after the initial temporary hiccup, the ride was switched to manual mode to try and send an empty train through. The train failed to make the course, but the ride was still on manual mode when the next train was dispatched and ran into the valleyed one.

 

[MaxPower]

Despite the severity of the issue all that can come from this is good - better safety, new practices and a diminished risk of it happening in the future - regardless of cause (computer v human error). Sadly, it's the worst way to learn.

Hopefully we'll see the Smiler sorted out properly this time, whether the track is reworked or the groundwork is adjusted, this is the time to get it fixed.

Any more severe breakdowns/ parts falling off will not go down well in the media.

 

[Danny]

I couldn't care less about Youtube comments, Tumblr posts, or what my next door neighbour's cousin's pet goldfishes dentist are having to say on the matter. They've long overstepped the silly mark.

 

[Quetzal]

maybe it did but judging on the size of the blockbrakes and the amount of weight of the train and personnel on board maybe, just maybe it was just enough to over power the brake cells and continue on its way (people on this site work at the park what pressure do the brakes work at is it 200 psi?) anyways because there worked by pneumatics and electric (induction magnets) if one fails they all will (wont they) loose air pressure-loose cylinders, loose electric, well the ride shuts down.

but it is possible to loose air pressure and not cause any effect to any other system on the ride if the compressor can keep up with the loosing air you will never know the difference until one or more systems are in use (station brakes and blockbrakes together) the closer you are to the source of power the less likelihood of knowing weather the systems at fault but the further you astray from the supply the greater you see the difference

ill try to explain it (for those that don't know about how pressure works) think of a hose pipe near the tap, the pressure blows you backwards add a few other hoses to the same tap your likely to get a little soggy add some more and its more like a dribble at your end but at the tap end its still at full pressure

so the station as its closer to the supply will still work at relatively the same pressure where as where you need it most at the brakes their maybe just inefficient air pressure to raise the brakes, even tho the servo is saying apply brakes
but thats just my theory on it.

Just to clarify, most brakes used on rollercoasters, and The Smiler too I assume have breaks that are automatically shut and require air pressure to open. So if there's a failure the brakes are locked shut with no way of opening.

 

[Sazzle]

@blackholes crow -

I literally have no idea what on earth PSI/pneumatics/air pressure has to do with this...

The first train never made it to the brakes on the mid course. The second train clearly left the lift hill chain, and again, never made it to the mid-course brakes...?
-----------------------

So anyway! This is my first post on the subject, and I have all manner of questions and theories floating around in my mind. None of which I will post, none of which matter at all. I can't pretend to know what the staff and guests are feeling at the moment (including those not at the scene), and yet I myself feel anguish and concern whilst being relatively detached from the whole thing.

I am putting my faith in HSE, and in Towers being transparent and open about the events of yesterday. Whatever the outcome, I hope lessons are learned. This should never happen again.

 

[James]

If the train was stopped on lift hill 1 then surely the computer would have stopped the train again on lift hill 2 (vertical lift hill)? If the train continued through that then that certainly points towards a manual override.

Although if one train stalled and the other was stopped. That gave a good 10 minute time window for spectators to notice the stationary train and alarm someone. The ride op surely would have seen on the CCTV cameras there was a missing train too.

If visual checks of the entire track are not common practice I could see that being something that staff are required to do in future.

I just find it strange that staff would restart/override the coaster without knowing how many trains there were on the track and if any were missing/out of sight. I know the staff that run these rides are young but they're not stupid and we've had stalled trains before so I just don't get how anyone could oversee that.

 

[Leah]

Is it really better that the other car was empty?..

Ok, in the actual crash, yes. It would have been fatalities if it was full. But if the others car was full it would be heavier, gain more momentum and clear the batting, not stalling, preventing the crash altogether. However, looking back I can say this. I would have sent an empty one round just like they did.

My thoughts to Alton tower's reputation. With most people who understand the statistics of it happening again, they would ride it again however earlier my friends said that I am mad. they said 4 people died and 3 were paralysed. The media coverage is extremely exaggerated and those who watch it sadly believe what they see.

 

[cotda]

Just to clarify, most brakes used on rollercoasters, and The Smiler too I assume have breaks that are automatically shut and require air pressure to open. So if there's a failure the brakes are locked shut with no way of opening.

As stated above, the train stopped on a lift section for around 10 minutes before continuing, plus it is extremely unlikely for a braking failure to occur, in addition, all break sections on the smiler's main circuit (with exception of those before the station) are immediately before a lift section.

 

[Rob]

If the train was stopped on lift hill 1 then surely the computer would have stopped the train again on lift hill 2 (vertical lift hill)? If the train continued through that then that certainly points towards a manual override.

Although if one train stalled and the other was stopped. That gave a good 10 minute time window for spectators to notice the stationary train and alarm someone. The ride op surely would have seen on the CCTV cameras there was a missing train too.

If visual checks of the entire track are not common practice I could see that being something that staff are required to do in future.

I just find it strange that staff would restart/override the coaster without knowing how many trains there were on the track and if any were missing/out of sight. I know the staff that run these rides are young but they're not stupid and we've had stalled trains before so I just don't get how anyone could oversee that.

Neither train made it to lift 2, it all happened in the first half of the ride.

Whatever went wrong it is certainly very strange event, and it should not have happened. I hope we get the initial findings of the investigation sooner rather than later just so we can put to bed some of the speculation, as it is never nice to have to speculate about something like this. I'd imagine Towers and HSE have a decent idea of the main cause by now, but it will take longer to put the full picture together.

 

[Ted]

Doesn't lift hill 2 come after the Staffs knot element? It wouldn't have been possible for it to make it to lift hill 2.

 

[Danny]

My thoughts to Alton tower's reputation. With most people who understand the statistics of it happening again, they would ride it again however earlier my friends said that I am mad. they said 4 people died and 3 were paralysed. The media coverage is extremely exaggerated and those who watch it sadly believe what they see.

This is where a line is drawn between the media and the aftermath Chinese whispers. I don't recall any news platform reporting on deaths, so this is just down to people stirring and trying scaremonger, or act like know-it-alls.