From rideaccidents.com:
The Kentucky Department of Agriculture KDA has released its final report detailing the findings of its investigation into the June 2007 accident in which a teenager lost both of her feet on the Superman: Tower of Power ride at Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom theme park after a cable snapped. Based on their conclusion, state officials formally cited and fined the park.
302 KAR 16:0205 requires that All amusement rides and amusement attractions shall be maintained in good electrical and mechanical condition and shall be under the supervision of an operator at all times during the operation of the amusement ride or amusement attraction. The KDA has always required amusement ride manuals provided by the manufacturer to be followed to satisfy this requirement. Based upon scientific evidence and expert opinion, the cause of the cable failure has been determined to be fatigue, a progressive failure of the mechanism. Also based upon expert opinion, it was determined that the extent of the fatigue would have made it possible for SFKK personnel to detect the deteriorating condition of the cable using the procedures outlined in the more recent ride manual. Therefore, a violation of 302 KAR 16:0205 occurred due to the cable not being maintained in good mechanical condition.
Broken cable of Superman drop tower ride
Kaitlyn Lasitters shoelace remains intertwined with the broken, rusty cable.When investigators inspected the cable after the accident, they noted that it had “a red rust color appearance and broken wires were present.”
The metallurgical testing conducted on the wire ropes led investigators to determine that the cause of the cable failure was fatigue, a progressive failure of the mechanism.
“The cable on the ride was in a condition that caused the cable to fail under its normal load in operation.”
The report also states that park maintenance workers should have detected the poor condition of the cable prior to the accident.
Maintenance records provided by SFKK indicate the cable units and switches were last checked on June 14, 2007, and no further action was needed. However, based on expert opinion, the deteriorating condition of the cable would have been detected using the procedures outlined in the newer ride manual.
The expert opinion came from Mr. Semih Genculu, the vice president of Applied Technical Services Inc.
