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By Maverick44
#95082
Not to damper anyones mood. There was a death on a ride at the Ohio State fair. The looping roller coaster "fireball" Ejected people from the ride. Lets keep that family in our prayers. I would never step foot on a fair ride myself. Just so sad.

** EDIT** It was not a looping coaster. It was a spinning swing ride called Fireball.
* Sorry for double posting pic. I am not sure how to delete one.*

[mod edit] I removed the second picture.
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#95094
An X ray and magnetic particle inspection should have caught this defective weld. A similar thing happened on a KMG Re-mix years ago. The thing with KMG rides is all the stress calculations are also computer designed for light trailer loads during transport. So, the rides just don't have the longevity like other European manufacturers, or even old Chance Rides that are built with much thicker (and heavier) steel. Many KMG rides are likely nearing the end of their operating life. The Fireballs are amongst the oldest KMG rides. This is truly a terrible, horrible accident and I am so saddened for all those involved.
#95097
swampfox43 wrote:An X ray and magnetic particle inspection should have caught this defective weld. A similar thing happened on a KMG Re-mix years ago. The thing with KMG rides is all the stress calculations are also computer designed for light trailer loads during transport. So, the rides just don't have the longevity like other European manufacturers, or even old Chance Rides that are built with much thicker (and heavier) steel. Many KMG rides are likely nearing the end of their operating life. The Fireballs are amongst the oldest KMG rides. This is truly a terrible, horrible accident and I am so saddened for all those involved.

Isn't both of those tests supposed to be done on an annual basis?

To matters more interesting Amusements of America is based out of Florence, SC(reported by WBTV).

Do they still do the NC State Fair?
Last edited by RollerBee on July 27th, 2017, 12:21 pm, edited 1 time in total.
#95098
I've seen up close pix of the arm. It was a clean break (straight across on the front, jagged but clean on the back). Definitely looks like a stress fracture caused this.
#95107
There is the break in the arm. Rusted metal. I am not sure if these rides are ever put through a comprehensive test like all the rides are at permanent parks.
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#95108
That's not rusted metal. That's a clean break, but the metal isn't rusted.

On another note, the ride was just in charlotte. I was going to ride it but didn't. I do have pix tho.
#95111
You don't even need to be there. Watch the video. The sound is horrific. The ride slams into something. That or the part detached and hit something like the ride floor then back up into the other side of the gondola. The sound will never leave my mind now that I heard it.
#95112
Just because there may be rust, doesn't mean the rust caused the break. There is more than one kind of rust, for example surface rust is harmless to steel structurally. Pitting rust however is harmful to the steel and could have been a factor in the accident if it was present.

It was very likely a stress fracture possibly caused by metal fatigue.
#95115
This is definitely metal fatigue. It broke right along the weld where the heat weakens the tube. And there was no gusset (reinforcement plate) in place. An ultra sonic or magnetic particle scan would have caught this and is relatively cheap so I am told. What's expensive is getting someone licensed to sign off on the actual test. The ride is right about 19 years old making it one of the oldest KMG's on the road.
#95118
Maverick44 wrote:Looks pretty rusty to me under that coat of paint. It def hit something that made it break off if you listen to the crash sound in the video.

It didn't hit anything except the gondola next to it. The crash you hear is the metal ripping apart and then the gondola instantly smashing into the gondola next to it, which causes the ejection you see.
#95119
hmmm looks like it does hit it. Who knows. That video you can't really see and it is blurry. I thought it did. Maybe not. However something had to have happened to cause that arm to break. Maybe it was just its time and it broke free.
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