'Excessive speed' blamed for Daytona roller coaster accident

DAYTONA BEACH — Excessive speed and damage to the track and axle systems of the Sandblaster roller coaster appear to be the chief causes of an accident on the Boardwalk ride last month that left several riders badly injured.

Those are the main conclusions of state inspectors and independent engineers who released preliminary reports Tuesday on the June 14 derailment that sent two people plummeting 17 feet down to the ground below and other riders dangling or stuck on the coaster until they were rescued by firefighters.

The engineers said they found evidence that the roller coaster cars had traveled too quickly many times, causing the wheels to lift off the track. They said there was an extended history of derailments that damaged the safety wheel system below the steel pipe that made up the tracks.

If derailments that occurred over the past five years had "been properly addressed by reducing car speed, the subject accident could have been avoided," concluded engineers with Quest Engineering & Failure Analysis, which has offices in Tallahassee and Vero Beach.

"After dismantling part of the support structure to gain access to the site of the accident, the engineer found evidence of a previous derailment that occurred after the ride was refurbished and initially permitted in 2013," state officials said in their report. "There was also evidence of other derailments that likely occurred prior to that year. A review of department records determined that no derailments were reported to the department."

The engineers said they found evidence of a "very recent" accident that was "very similar" to the June 14 derailment and impact on the brake structure, but the evidence of that earlier crash was painted over.

State officials said it appears the ride owners and engineer who signed an affidavit attesting to the ride's compliance with all regulations "either knew or should have known that the ride was operating in a manner that presented a serious risk of injury to patrons."

The engineers with Quest said it appears the 45-year-old ride had derailments both before and after local business partners Ed Kennedy and Stan Manousos opened it on the Boardwalk five years ago. They said they found a worn strip on the underside of the track that "clearly indicated a long-term wear pattern by the safety wheels contacting the track."

"Because the ride shows an extended history of derailments, the fundamental safety wheel system is not fully reliable," they said in their 34-page report, which includes pictures of what they found on the ride after last month's accident.

Those safety wheels are made of steel, and are not made to withstand regular contact with the track. They said the June derailment was likely the result of the initial design of the roller coaster in combination with wear and multiple strains.

Manousos did not return a call seeking comment, and Kennedy said he didn't want to discuss the Sandblaster.

A three-page report released Tuesday afternoon by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services also found excessive speed to ultimately be behind last month's derailment that happened only a few hours after state inspectors had signed off on allowing the ride to reopen after a one-month shutdown.

The roller coaster gets its speed by moving from higher elevations to lower elevations, using gravity rather than a mechanical device that could slow it down or speed it up. Engineers found it had consistently been traveling at about 22 miles per hour — faster than other rides its size and too fast for what the track and its cars could safely handle. The ride is not designed to perform negative G's, inverted passes or extreme maneuvers.

Investigators also suggested that seat belts added to the coaster cars in 2013 might have left riders vulnerable to injury. They said one belt was used for both occupants in a seat, and the attachment point of the belt "was poorly placed, allowing for excess slack of the belt in an accident."

The state will continue to investigate factors that contributed to the speed of the ride including brake tuning, weight distribution, weather and lubrication of the track. The Department of Agriculture has issued subpoenas requiring the ride operator to provide additional records so the state agency can conclude its investigation. "Operator error caused the Sandblaster roller coaster derailment, which injured multiple people," Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam said in a written statement. "We will hold fully accountable those responsible."

Under Florida law, the state could revoke or suspend the ride permit for up to a year. The state can also fine the ride's owners $2,500 for every day the roller coaster was found to be operating with a defect that impacts safety, and at a speed in excess of its maximum safe operating limit. The owners could also face second-degree misdemeanor charges.

Some people on the ride the night of the accident have retained the services of attorneys with the Morgan & Morgan law firm, and lawsuits could be coming as well. The Quest engineers and state inspectors said they were unable to talk with those riders for their investigations.

On Tuesday the Department of Agriculture, which includes the Bureau of Fair Ride Inspections, released its Preliminary Investigative Summary and the third-party engineer's report on the Sandblaster accident.

[READ THE REPORTS: Preliminary Investigative Summary (PDF, 442.93 KB) | Independent Engineer's Report (PDF, 14.13 MB)]

The ride has been shut down since the accident and will remain out of operation indefinitely, state officials said. The other rides on the Boardwalk, which operate under a different owner, will remain open and have not had any inspection problems or reported accidents.

State inspectors have repeatedly idled the roller coaster over the past five years, including at least once in 2016. Another stop operation order came in February 2017 when the roller coaster failed an inspection that discovered eight violations including improperly securing passenger carriers, bracing not in place or missing, excessive corrosion, damaged fencing and handrails, and two other structural problems.

The Sandblaster had its annual permit renewed in November, which required proper proof of insurance and an affidavit assuring that a professional engineer had tested the ride and it met all state requirements. On May 17, a scheduled inspection found eight violations including a cracked track, excessive corrosion that included three holes in the structure, damaged restraints and latches that weren't working, cracked bracing and damaged seats. The ride failed that May 17 inspection, and then it failed again on a re-inspection a few weeks later on May 31. That second examination of the ride found a dozen violations including excessive corrosion, carrier tubs not properly secured, bent and cracked bracing, an electrical problem, damaged fencing and handrails, and damaged nuts and bolts. The state's preliminary investigation has determined that the problems found in May were not "contributing factors" in the accident.

The accident occurred when the front coaster car derailed on the second level of the track, 17 feet above the ground. Ten people were on the ride, which is 51 feet tall at its peak, and two of them were ejected from the rear seat of the front car.

Quest engineers said the three attached roller coaster cars were exiting a 540-degree spiral curve near the bottom of the ride when the right side wheels began lifting off of the track due to high speed and centrifugal cornering forces. The cars' right side safety wheels located beneath the track began rolling along the bottom of the track, preventing the cars from overturning. The edge of the lead car's safety wheels first carved an upward gouge or groove in the track, then channeled upward along the track until they became freed above the track.

The lead car slid, tilted and hit a magnetic brake structure with the car's brake fin which severed the brake fin structure from the car and pushed the car off to the right. The lead car exited the track and struck a vertical support with its right side. The collision forces left the lead car suspended vertically 10 feet above the ground, hanging from the partially derailed second car.

When the state completes its investigation, a final report will be issued and the Department of Agriculture said it "will pursue appropriate legal remedies."

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