Cannonball
New member
Or I've spent a LOT of time on lifts
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Sugarloaf Lift Accident - 3/21/15
- Thread starter WJenness
- Start date
Or I've spent a LOT of time on lifts
VTKilarney
Well-known member
Cannonball
New member
I feel luckier than the people who got hurt.
MEtoVTSkier
Active member
This person just earned a bonus for remembering the training, and under pressure, correctly performing their job and employing it.
fbrissette
Well-known member
+1. Not a big fan of the American 'compensation culture' but in this case, someone deserves to get sued.
fbrissette
Well-known member
Wouldn't you rather keep yous skis on and get some gliding before the big collapse ? Kinda like getting rid of your skis prior to jumping a cliff.
ScottySkis
Well-known member
I bet they thought about this possible in the past. +100!
SkiingInABlueDream
Active member
Depending on what the root cause is found to be, I'm wondering if there will be some review of the inspection process as well. The lift was thoroughly inspected in the fall but maybe it wasn't thorough enough. But on the other hand if this completely boils down to managerial negligence, then I agree that some heads should roll up there.
machski
Well-known member
The initial findings state it just had a structural inspection the day before this happened on the drive. The real question for me yet to be answered is why the Drop Dog failed to deploy and engage. Also, I hate hearing how a single failure can eliminate 2 safety systems at once (in this case, the primary drive break and the auto anti-rollback system). I'd these 2 systems are still designed in this manner on current lifts, wonder if new options will be examined moving forward to preclude this. I have to say at THIS point, sounds like SL had done everything they should have regarding inspections/maintenance. But obviously investigation still early on
fbrissette
Well-known member
personnally, I don't believe in coincidence.
billski
Active member
Structural = static inspection. A dynamic (operational) inspection would be more helpful. However, it's still possible that a catastrophic failure occurred - a part seized or shattered, something that might only have been detectable via an x-ray or similar test. It's unlikely that extensive testing is done during the operating season.
billski
Active member
What were these failures and what ski areas did they occur at?
DaffyJeffy
New member
I've been an industrial mechanic in the past although never on chairlifts. The next logical question in my opinion becomes "what needs to change in the inspection/maintenance procedures?"
If I understand correctly, the gearbox had a overhaul/rebuild around 2011. What are the required qualifications for the business performing the overhaul? Is visual inspection enough or should more intense procedures like radiography be required? Perhaps an annual rebuild?
It seem logical to come to the conclusion that these procedures are flawed in some way.
I'm wondering how SL gets insurance on their lifts? Is it possible for the insurance co to have more strict requirements or does the state need to have a heavier hand? I've always been a bit skeptical about the notion that private business can successfully self-regulate.
I'm very curious to what changes will be made and by whom. It is my opinion that the fatalistic attitude that "accidents happen" is unacceptable.
billski
Active member
"The preliminary findings showed the initial mechanical failure was in one of the two gearboxes that connects the lift’s electric motor to the drive bullwheel — the large metal wheel around which the cable supporting the chairs revolves, Austin said.
That failure decoupled the bullwheel from the lift’s primary brake on the driveshaft and from the anti-reverse brake, which is the first of three redundant mechanisms to prevent a rollback, he said.
The final braking mechanism, known as a “drop dog” — a large metal pin that drops into the bullwheel to prevent rotation — apparently failed to deploy as designed.
The application of the emergency brake by the lift attendant likely prevented a more extensive rollback, Austin said."
Source:
Bangor Daily News, 3/22,updated 8:41 p. m.
http://bangordailynews.com/2015/03/...ty-devices-failed-in-sugarloaf-lift-accident/
That failure decoupled the bullwheel from the lift’s primary brake on the driveshaft and from the anti-reverse brake, which is the first of three redundant mechanisms to prevent a rollback, he said.
The final braking mechanism, known as a “drop dog” — a large metal pin that drops into the bullwheel to prevent rotation — apparently failed to deploy as designed.
The application of the emergency brake by the lift attendant likely prevented a more extensive rollback, Austin said."
Source:
Bangor Daily News, 3/22,updated 8:41 p. m.
http://bangordailynews.com/2015/03/...ty-devices-failed-in-sugarloaf-lift-accident/
gmcunni
Active member
i think i'd take my chances with ejecting skis asap, raising the bar and looking behind me to gauge best time to jump and roll.. rolling of course would be dictated by the terrain i land in.
at least with skis off if i got to the bottom and things were not insane (like that video) i could raise up my legs so nothing was hanging below the chair and try and ride through the turn.
Cannonball
New member
Mary Jane: I don't know what the failure was but I was off the lift as soon as I heard the loud CLUNK and the lift stopped abruptly. It ended up being down for almost 2 hours.
Wildcat: Wind blowing chairs into the towers.
Mittersill: Not a lift failure, but a liftie failure. Loaded us on the chair with the seat flipped up. Instead of stopping the lift he just started screaming "Oh My God Get Off The Lift!!!!"
Copper: Not a failure. Just a game we'd play when customers weren't around.
I personally love the Cannon one.
Cannonball
New member
That was the best for sure (MadMadWorld was on the chair in front of us). We probably would have been fine riding all the way up sitting on just the bar. But the liftie kid totally lost his shit. My nephew jumped off at ~4 feet. I jumped at ~10'. Which was the point of my first post: if you're going to react do it quickly! 10' turns into 20' very quickly on a lift.
Performs well under pressure can be taken off of his resume ... good thing he wasn't in charge of the emergency brake at the Loaf!
Something similar happened to me at a tiny place in NJ when I was a kid. The teenage liftie put me on a taped off chair and then had the nerve to yell at me for not watching the chair/doing his job for him. Didn't even let me off the thing.
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