Subsonic Radio

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...

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!

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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...

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.