KMG Afterburner accident - Ohio State Fair "Fire Ball" ride

[DJKostya]

So this has appeared. Looks like corrosion may be the reason for the failure:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-08-07/ohio-state-fair-ride-malfuncion-caused-by-excessive-corrosion/8780044

[Reanimated35]

The Dutch manufacturer of a thrill ride that broke apart and killed an 18-year-old man at the Ohio State Fair says excessive corrosion on a support beam led to the "catastrophic failure"

http://abc.net.au/news/2017-08-07/ohio-state-fair-ride-malfuncion-caused-by-excessive-corrosion/8780044

[Brad2912]

Excessive corrosion isn't fast onset... maintenance checks & standards therefore lacking or non-existent 

[New display name]

Slow down @Brad2912  this is the manufacturer findings and not the official findings.  I don't think any company is going to put their hand up and say we are at fault or partly at fault. 

[Brad2912]

Yeah, jumping the gun, I know. Probably because I'm firmly in the "carnival rides are not as safe or thoroughly regulated" camp. I know that's not a popular opinion on here, but that's where I stand... 

[rappa]

The photo of the detached seat certainly would support that finding. The steel did not exactly look healthy. 

[New display name]

@Brad2912 After everything I said, I still think you're close to the mark.  Even for some reason the building process caused the rust, as a rider I would hope an operator of a ride could pick this stuff up.

[HussRainbow87]

Interesting to see that the ride was not sent for any major maintenance work at KMG in many years.

I guess this just proves that the owner was at fault for this, and the fact that this is KMG's FIRST accident on one of their rides in 18 years of operation shows that it wasn't entirely their fault. It also further implements that travelling rides are safe... One accident in 18 years... 

[New display name]

Last paragraph.  Why do they only now have a safety inspection protocol after the accident? 

[red dragin]

Would simply be an additional or increased inspection I suspect.

Like when they find a previously unidentified fault in a plane, or one that occurs earlier than originally anticipated. When that plane lost the entire propeller recently near Sydney, all planes with that engine had to be inspected. 

[New display name]

I understand that but wouldn't all operators always be looking for rust regardless.

[elemist]

 

1 minute ago, Skeeta said:

I understand that but wouldn't all operators always be looking for rust regardless.

More than likely it would be revised from something like "keep an eye out for signs of corrosion" to "Keep an eye out for signs of corrosion, looking specifically in the arms near where the gondolas attach". Along with a bunch of details on what specifically to look for and test, plus the frequency at which it should be tested.

At 18 years old, i would be interested to know when it was last stripped down/rebuilt.

Anyone know if this is considered old for a trailer ride, or about average?

[joz]

47 minutes ago, HussRainbow87 said:

Interesting to see that the ride was not sent for any major maintenance work at KMG in many years.

I guess this just proves that the owner was at fault for this, and the fact that this is KMG's FIRST accident on one of their rides in 18 years of operation shows that it wasn't entirely their fault. It also further implements that travelling rides are safe... One accident in 18 years... 

Really?  Because I kind of got the opposite impression.  While I'm pleased that there might bot be a design flaw, here's the thing I think you're not getting:  There's no way to tell who the dodgey operators are.  What also appears to be true, is that ride safety on the traveling circuit appears to be a voluntary thing, if you want to go above and beyond and make your rides safe, you can, if you want to take chances with safety, apparently you can do that too.  So long as the conditions that allow dodgey operators to exist are present, stuff like this will keep happening, and people will continue to not trust traveling rides.

[HussRainbow87]

25 minutes ago, joz said:

Really?  Because I kind of got the opposite impression.  While I'm pleased that there might bot be a design flaw, here's the thing I think you're not getting:  There's no way to tell who the dodgey operators are.  What also appears to be true, is that ride safety on the traveling circuit appears to be a voluntary thing, if you want to go above and beyond and make your rides safe, you can, if you want to take chances with safety, apparently you can do that too.  So long as the conditions that allow dodgey operators to exist are present, stuff like this will keep happening, and people will continue to not trust traveling rides.

I think the USA has a slightly different approach to how amusement rides are maintained, both park and travelling. The simple thing here is, if your ride has not passed inspection, if it has not had all maintenance work done, and all work is up to date, then the ride won't operate. I cannot speak for the country shows interstate, I only am aware of how WorkCover is here in Victoria.

Regardless of whether the machine is at a park or travelling, accidents can happen on either. Its a shame when it does, but it happens, just like plane and car accidents.

[elemist]

50 minutes ago, joz said:

Really?  Because I kind of got the opposite impression.  While I'm pleased that there might bot be a design flaw, here's the thing I think you're not getting:  There's no way to tell who the dodgey operators are.  What also appears to be true, is that ride safety on the traveling circuit appears to be a voluntary thing, if you want to go above and beyond and make your rides safe, you can, if you want to take chances with safety, apparently you can do that too.  So long as the conditions that allow dodgey operators to exist are present, stuff like this will keep happening, and people will continue to not trust traveling rides.

What will be more interesting to see is what maintenance has actually been done to the ride. Just because KMG haven't seen it, doesn't mean it hasn't been maintained.

Similar to how you can take your car to an independent mechanic rather than back to the dealer - it doesn't mean the car's been any less well maintained, and at least when it comes to cars i have more faith in independent mechanics than i do in the dealers. Same applies for aircraft - they don't often return to Boeing or Airbus directly for maintenance rather they go to approved maintenance companies.

I would assume (especially in the case of on the road rides), that it's impractical to return the manufacturer's location for servicing. They could find them selves on the opposite side of the country.

The most interesting thing to me is the oversight of these rides. Who is responsible for ensuring all maintenance works are carried out by the book before being allowed to be put into service? Is there any independent checking of the maintenance work, or does some inspector just rock up to check the book has been signed off (by god knows who), and says your all good to go?

I'm surprised that the insurance companies don't have a process in place as well, i mean there's quite high public liability insurance on these rides. I would assume in order to be covered there would be some checks and balances required.

I think it's also worth noting that it's probably a bit early to throw blame around. The operator could have followed the manufactures maintenance inspections/works by the book, and even gone over and above. This could have been a previously unknown area of weakness, there could have been contributory factors - maybe other damage, maybe it operated near the ocean and the salt has caused higher than normal corrosion levels. One thing i've learnt following lots of accidents is it's rarely just a single thing that causes an accident - it's generally a number of contributory factors that alone were negligible, but together add up to an accident.

[Brad2912]

55 minutes ago, HussRainbow87 said:

I think the USA has a slightly different approach to how amusement rides are maintained, both park and travelling. The simple thing here is, if your ride has not passed inspection, if it has not had all maintenance work done, and all work is up to date, then the ride won't operate. I cannot speak for the country shows interstate, I only am aware of how WorkCover is here in Victoria.

Regardless of whether the machine is at a park or travelling, accidents can happen on either. Its a shame when it does, but it happens, just like plane and car accidents.

But are workcover physically sending out engineers to check the physical ride over once a year, or are they simply auditing the books/records provided by the company?? What failsafe checks are being run to ensure the books and records are not doctored?

for the large majority of the population, motor vehicle travel is essential to life, so any real or perceived risks associated with that travel have to be accepted to live a normal life. 

Plenty of people shy away from overseas travel due to a fear of flying, because overseas travel isn't essential, so if an individual can't rationale the risk vs reward they won't fly. 

Going on a ride is certainly not essential, When I analyse the risk vs reward for a travelling ride, there is no reward worth the risk. I'd sooner jump on a plane overseas than go on a travelling ride. But hey, that's just me.. 

 

[Dave B]

The photos of the arm joint that separated appear as rusty as an old car frame.  This makes me wonder if, due to the rotational component of the car cluster; any moisture in the arm will be flung out during operation and concentrate at the end where it broke (centrifugal force).  The fact that there are wires passing through the arm means there are openings at the other end which could allow water entry. Was the interior of the arm structure coated with any kind of oxidation inhibitor, weep holes?   Just musing.

[Reanimated35]

Here you go, kids, the accident report. 

The facebook page Amusement Ride Accidents has gone through and highlighted key points. 

This is also their caption: 

Quote

[August 21, 2017] There will be no criminal charges in the Ohio State Fair ride malfunction that killed an 18-year-old and injured seven others. Authorities said 18-year-old Tyler Jarrell of Columbus died when a piece of the swinging and spinning ride snapped during the fair's opening night on July 26. After reading the report, prosecutor Ron O’Brien determined there was not enough evidence to proceed with a criminal case against any involved parties.

Read the full 62 page report here - with accounts from over 80 witnesses who were on and near the ride when the accident happened. All photos have been omitted due to their graphic nature. Key sentences have been highlighted in yellow. Keep in mind, some of the more interesting information is in the middle and end of the document.

 

Ohio-fireball-fair-accident-report.pdf

[rappa]

Just worth highlighting that this is the police report and is mostly an account of the day and witness reports. 

 

It's not the investigation report/conslusion as to what caused the accident. 

[bladex]

this is why i don't go near \ekka\carnival\fair rides