Ejection Seat cable fails, safety system works

Posted | Contributed by Jeff

Two riders were left dangling from a single, giant bungee cord on a carnival ride at Portland's Rose Festival after a cable broke on the catapult-like device called the Ejection Seat. The second cable supported the riders.

Read more from KGW/Portland.

at least the safety system worked

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CPLady's avatar
This is the same ride people can pay $25 for at PKI. I'm glad the safety system works, but there is no way I'll pay to ride something like this. *shudder*

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I'd rather die living than live like I'm dead

Jeff's avatar

Actually, it's not quite the same ride. This ride uses actual bungee cords, apparently, while the PKI ride uses cables attached to springs. On the PKI ride, there are two cables per side, so even if one broke, the stability of the ball would likely remain.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

This is something you WOULDN'T tell your friends about before going on one of these. I'm just glad the safety system worked!

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It's his turn to feast, when you ride the Son of Beast.

Safety system. Yeah, right.

The cable apparently snapped while they were cranking it tight. The only safety system they should have needed was the static line in the bungee cord to keep it from shooting down the midway and killing somebody. The ride never got to the point of launch, so they reversed the winch and took the tension off the other cable so they could unload.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

The snap in the seats must have been insane, as the amount of tension is ridiculously high. The 'shifting' movement probably happened as the other cord dealt with the sudden tension shift. Scary. I hope they have a static line intertwined(or the newer envelope/sheath) with the cord, as not only could it hurt someone nearby, but if it breaks near the tower there's a good chance it could snap back at one of the riders.

Of all the bad things to be said about reverse-bungee (the first time I ever saw it done live, a guy was seriously hurt after colliding into the basket of a hot-air balloon the other end of the cord was attached to) it should be mentioned that the greatest possibility of a cord breaking happens during preparation, which is a little more comforting than testing the tension with a normal bungee jump.

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"Eject Goose, Eject!"

There have been many noted cases where bungee-based rides like this have had cord breakage, though I do not know of any incidents with the steel cable spring shots.
I'd have to follow up on what Fierce Pancake said in that I've heard of a good number of instances where true bungee based rides have had problems of this sort, where bungees stretch, break, or otherwise fail. Haven't heard of any yet on the steel cable based rides (like the one at PKI).

Thank goodness it didn't happen during launch, as that could have been a whole lot worse. As it was I'm sure that was still a painful shot to the side when it broke.

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Sometimes it's up. Sometimes it's down.
But with God, life is one thrill ride that you'll never regret being on.

Sling Shot Attractions by Funtime Handels Gesmbh, Austria, are Extremely Safe. The "Spring Shots," as some people call them, have Multiple Redundant Safety Systems. The Safety of Funtime's Sling Shots are comparable to that of Sky Coaster, both are EXTREMELY Safe, if operated in accordance to the Manufacturers Specifications and Park Guide Lines. Here at Lagoon, we are ANAL, and that is why we are the Safest Amusement Park in North America, and one of the Top 5 Safest Amusement Parks in the World.

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Salt Lake City, Utah. Host City of the 2002 Winter Olympic Games - Light The Fire Within!
Lagoon Park...A New Prototype Coaster for 2003?

Actually, I *was* told of one of these accidents right before I stepped onto one of these devices (The Texas Blast-Off @ Zero Gravity Thrill Park near Dallas). It didnt stop be from riding though. You see, I have a belief that all things here are ordained by my God and when he says it's time for me to go, I'm gonna go; whether I'm bungee jumping or sitting in a rocking chair. :)

Though they may want to spend a little more time inspecting the cords next time ;)
lata,
jeremy

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Besides, if we were really shutting down people we disagreed with, would Jeremy (2Hostyl) still be around? :) I think not. - Jeff 1/24/02

KI's seemed very safe to me during BuzzCon. It was the first bungee I have ridden, and I must say that I appreciate the added cables and use of springs instead of flexible cord.
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Brad Sherman
BuzzCon Frequent Flyer, helping to train new ride ops properly!
Model coasters and rides
Here I was thinking about riding this one,but the $35 for 1 ride I could not justify.I will stick to riding coasters and an occasional S&S spave Shot.

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I can fix anything.....where is the duct tape?

This ride is definitely and I mean definitely not worth 35 dollars. I did a similiar one at Steel Pier in New Jersey. i think the ride is worth no more than 8 bucks. It was not even as nearly scary as I thought it would be. The g's at the top were cool though and so were the flips that the bubble pulled.

and what safety system worked. It said the ride was dangling by one cable, what does that have to do with a safety system? There's probably just something i'm not being told here.

Jeff's avatar

The fact that there are two cables and not one is the safety system.

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Jeff - Webmaster/Admin - CoasterBuzz.com, Sillynonsense.com
"As far as I can tell it doesn't matter who you are. If you can believe, there's something worth fighting for..." - Garbage, "Parade"

The only one worth $35 is the one that shoots you about 350 ft in the air at Old Town Kissimmee (or anywhere else that has the LARGE model). The more typical 200 ft model isn't nearly as exciting.
Jeremy, we were just trying to enhance your ride experience:)
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B&M vs. Intamin? CCI vs. GCI? Who cares! They're all fun!

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