Monorail Accident

MadEye · Post by **MadEye** » Jul Wed 08, 2009 10:16 pm

I take it most of you have heard about what happened a few nights ago... The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) released a report.

http://cfnews13.com/News/Local/2009/7/8 ... pilot.html

If you have any questions about Monorails and the way they are operated you can ask me as I am a former Monorail Pilot.

What really hits home is that I worked with Austin before he transferred into Monorails... Like a double whammy here...

MmeLeota · Post by **MmeLeota** » Jul Wed 08, 2009 10:34 pm

I have been following this story because I drove the mark IV monorails in Vegas. I have been scratching my head trying to figure out how it could possibly happen. What a terrible loss and such a tragic accident!

agingerbugg · Post by **agingerbugg** » Jul Wed 08, 2009 10:41 pm

I've been following this, because Saturday night I was in Daytona with a friend who drove the mark IVs when they were at WDW. He was very upset to hear the pilot didn't survive.

Post by **Len90** » Jul Wed 08, 2009 11:05 pm

The world becomes so different when the monorails are down. There are some very interesting details about how the scene was cleared and the contingency plans that were in place. I'll fill you all in when we (unfortunately) come back.

PopCentury2007 · Post by **PopCentury2007** » Jul Thu 09, 2009 7:21 am

Is it true there's an override on the brake system that would have prevented this from happening?

GhostHost · Post by **GhostHost** » Jul Thu 09, 2009 7:33 am

Len90 wrote:The world becomes so different when the monorails are down. There are some very interesting details about how the scene was cleared and the contingency plans that were in place. I'll fill you all in when we (unfortunately) come back.

This is what I am most interested in as well. It is a terrible tragedy and my next trip will feel different as a result I'm sure. I remember one trip when the monorail was down due to some maintenance issue and it certainly made getting around MK more difficult. We took a crazy maze of a ride through the parking lot of the Contemporary for what seemed like forever.

spodie · Post by **spodie** » Jul Thu 09, 2009 8:54 am

This is so sad to hear, and even more sad to hear that there were multiple things that could have been done to prevent this.

Future Guy · Post by **Future Guy** » Jul Thu 09, 2009 8:54 am

What a shame. I guess it just goes to show that no man-made system is foolproof. I feel so sorry for the family and friends of that Monorail pilot.

MadEye · Post by **MadEye** » Jul Thu 09, 2009 8:57 am

PopCentury2007 wrote:Is it true there's an override on the brake system that would have prevented this from happening?

No. To move through the switch/spur you have to override the system. If you don't, the monorail will not move at all. If Monorail Shop (maintenance) paid attention to the monitor showing the switch and Monorail Central (coordinator) was where they were supposed to be, they wouldn't have told Pink they were clear THROUGH the TTC to the MK station. By the time Pink realized he wasn't on the Express beam, it was too late...

GhostHost · Post by **GhostHost** » Jul Thu 09, 2009 9:04 am

Has anyone heard anything about the other pilot? I can't imagine how he or she must feel about this.

packwingfn · Post by **packwingfn** » Jul Thu 09, 2009 9:08 am

My thoughts go out to the pilot and his family. It is very sad the way everything went down. Even Austin tried reversing his monorail when he saw pink coming at him. I can't imagine those last few moments...He was a hero in my book as he probably was thinking of the family on board of his monorail more than his own life. What a very tragic day for Disney.

GhostHost · Post by **GhostHost** » Jul Thu 09, 2009 9:11 am

packwingfn wrote: Even Austin tried reversing his monorail when he saw pink coming at him.

Really? How do we know this? Not doubting you, just curious.

agingerbugg · Post by **agingerbugg** » Jul Thu 09, 2009 9:15 am

GhostHost wrote:
packwingfn wrote: Even Austin tried reversing his monorail when he saw pink coming at him.
Really? How do we know this? Not doubting you, just curious.

It is stated in the official NTSB report. I am sure they saw the controls in the reverse position or something similar to that. Don't know if the monorail trains have something similar to a "black box," but that could tell them too.

GhostHost · Post by **GhostHost** » Jul Thu 09, 2009 9:19 am

agingerbugg wrote:
GhostHost wrote:
packwingfn wrote: Even Austin tried reversing his monorail when he saw pink coming at him.
Really? How do we know this? Not doubting you, just curious.
It is stated in the official NTSB report. I am sure they saw the controls in the reverse position or something similar to that. Don't know if the monorail trains have something similar to a "black box," but that could tell them too.

Wow, I didn't realize they were already done with their report. Considering one train basically drove through another I would expect to see the controls in the reverse direction so I don't think that's necessarily an indication that the pilot tried to reverse. I would think there would be cameras all over the monorail platforms so perhaps those would reveal something. Maybe not though since it was dark.

alsirrap · Post by **alsirrap** » Jul Thu 09, 2009 11:53 am

I sure that the pilot of pink is feeling misserable, even though it was most likely not his fault at all. The pilot of purple was probably a friend of his as well. I read that the safety system had the next day been changed to deal with any possible situations like this in the future. Disney seems to always respond quickly to these kind of safety precautions fast. It reminds me of last year on the Dinosaur ride when a cast member died. The cast members were instructed to never step onto that platform when the ride was in motion, but someone took the chance anyway, unfortunately. The next day Disney put a failsafe in place that the ride shuts down if anyone steps onto that platform.