Riders hang 16 stories from tilting coaster after it malfunctions
- 5 years ago
TAICHUNG, TAIWAN — According to ETToday, riders at a theme park in Taiwan were left literally hanging after a roller coaster malfunctioned mid-ride.
The Gravity Max in Taichung's Lihpao Land is the world's first and only tilting roller coaster. Dubbed the cliffhanger, it brings riders to the edge of a horizontal platform, where it moves to a fully vertical tilt and connects to an entirely separate set of tracks.
Riders are made to stare a straight 90 degrees down, before the coaster drops them back into the ride.
It's a pretty scary ride, though not as scary as what these unlucky folks had to go through.
20 people were on the Gravity Max when it broke down around 3 p.m. on January 30. According to Apple Daily, the tracks failed to line up during the vertical tilt — twice.
Remember that 90 degree tilt? The world's unluckiest thrill seekers ended up staring it down for about half an hour before being rescued off the ride and walking down to solid ground.
The poor, probably traumatized riders were then given a measly $5 voucher for their troubles.
Theme park director Wang Yonghao told local media that the ride suffered a misalignment, which can happen during strong winds, heavy rain, or fog. This triggers the fail safe mechanism to kick in and prevent the train from being released, which, whew.
Engineers inspected the ride and reopened it 20 minutes later, with Wang emphasizing that the coaster is 100% safe.
The Gravity Max in Taichung's Lihpao Land is the world's first and only tilting roller coaster. Dubbed the cliffhanger, it brings riders to the edge of a horizontal platform, where it moves to a fully vertical tilt and connects to an entirely separate set of tracks.
Riders are made to stare a straight 90 degrees down, before the coaster drops them back into the ride.
It's a pretty scary ride, though not as scary as what these unlucky folks had to go through.
20 people were on the Gravity Max when it broke down around 3 p.m. on January 30. According to Apple Daily, the tracks failed to line up during the vertical tilt — twice.
Remember that 90 degree tilt? The world's unluckiest thrill seekers ended up staring it down for about half an hour before being rescued off the ride and walking down to solid ground.
The poor, probably traumatized riders were then given a measly $5 voucher for their troubles.
Theme park director Wang Yonghao told local media that the ride suffered a misalignment, which can happen during strong winds, heavy rain, or fog. This triggers the fail safe mechanism to kick in and prevent the train from being released, which, whew.
Engineers inspected the ride and reopened it 20 minutes later, with Wang emphasizing that the coaster is 100% safe.