[insidebackdoor]

BORG is sceduled to run this weekend and there are no issues mechanically to correct. More details on the mishap will be forthcoming once the investigation is complete.

There was a death in the eighties when a couple of guys were horsing round on Rip Roaring Rapids and one of the kids fell inthe water. The other kid attemtped to rescue his friend and fell in. The kid became trapped under water and did not survive. The ride was closed to review procedures.This was in the middle eighties i believe.

[bgwfreak]

I think Borg needs one of those clear little boxes like they've got over the "Deal or no deal" button.

Once the train leaves the station...no deal!

It doesn't make much sense that the safety system would even allow it to unlock though once the train has left the station.

Thanks Vekoma!

[chargercrazy]

Maybe the I&C guys that wired it up messed up. That button may be useful at other times, just not during the ride (obviously). Work on those safety interlocks guys!

[bgwfreak]

The article did say that they fixed it now so that it won't do that even if someone gets button happy again.

Weird that it even had the option in the computer.

But it was probably just one of those freak things. Oh wait, it's a Vekoma.

[KenB]

I can't see how it would unlock the seats anywhere except the station anyway, as it would require either electrical power or a mechanical system to disengage the lock when the button was pressed. On the vast majority of coasters there just isn't the ability to control anything on the train anywhere except the station.

Of course, BORG's cousins are some of the few exceptions, with X-Flight / Firehawk and Batwing both having trains that ARE powered outside the station - but even those are only powered on the lift. This was to allow them to recline the seats while going up the lift. Those probably can receive commands from the controls, but again, only until they leave the lift. BORG / Stealth was intended to have this early on, but has always had the mechanical system to lower the seats in the station. Without needing to power the electronics and motors to lower the seats, I find it highly doubtful that BORG has power on the lift like the other Flying Dutchmen.

So like there were no magic brakes that stopped the train mid-course, there most likely wasn't a magic button that released the seats in mid-ride. Most likely, the button was pressed in the station. This begs the question of what was wrong with the interlocks - there's no way the train should be able to dispatch without the seats being locked down, yet it certainly looks like that happened. Incorrectly wired? Faulty sensor? An override switch that let the ride bypass this error? Or were the interlocks never there to start with? It IS a Vekoma after all, so I guess that last one is possible, but even for them this seems basic.

KenB

[Jonathan]

Ken, that is exactly what I thought when I first read the explanation. There may be a possible explanation, though. To my knowledge, Borg is one of if not the only coasters to have wireless modems on board the cars. So, I suppose it would be possible to send a signal to the trains. That still doesn't explain why you would ever need or want to do that.

[theonewhoknows]

The Borg uses a system called Wireless Devicenet Which is simply a Progamable Logic control (PLC). This system (Devicenet) sends out a signal to the staion as it enters.. The trains get their power to operate from buss rails running along the station floor.. once the train is nears the lift all power is cut off as the buss rails end near there and the train remains locked..
the trains start to get their power when they exit the braking station. Next time when you are there look at the curve coming into the station you will notince the buss rails..

[KenB]

I had never noticed the buss rails before, so had assumed BORG wasn't powered except in the station itself. This sounds much like the X-Flight / Batwing setup, except it doesn't go all the way up the lift like on those. Would it be correct to assume that the train would be powered enough to operate the seat release mechanism after it had left the station, but before it had hit the lift?

If that's the case, perhaps during the short interval between the train being dispatched and losing connection with the buss rail, it's possible to release the seat lock mechanism. That might also explain the mysterious seat release button that would seem somewhat odd (or stupid) to have to begin with, why it wasn't caught by some sort of safety interlock, and maybe why it hasn't happened before.

My thinking here is that if you hit the regular seat release button with the train in the station, it won't dispatch until the seats are locked again. If you hit it after the train has dispatched and has cleared the power rail, nothing happens as the train is unpowered. Hit it during the few seconds the train is rolling out of the station and still powered, though, THEN this button becomes the mystery Mid-Ride Seat Release button. Maybe this failure mode wasn't thought of, or any sensors to detect the seats not being locked didn't detect the problem after the ride had dispatched. Someone the other day just happened to hit the button at the wrong time and hence the incident. This is pure speculation of course, but I think this theory is somewhere in the ballpark.

Oddly, on the radio this morning they said Carowinds had added a buzzer to alert them of this problem in the future - I'm guessing it goes off whenever the button that was pressed to cause the problem is pushed. I also imagine that any logic flaws in the control programming / setup that let this slip by would also be corrected, but I'd guess it works better for them to just inform the media of the buzzer.

If you hear a buzzer after your train is dispatched, at least you can prepare for a more-interesting-than-usual BORG ride.

KenB

[theonewhoknows]

Once the train leaves the station the power is cut and the system shuts down.. also the coonection to the Devicenet is cut.. no way to activate anything on the lift.. I am sure the engineers have completely gone over every bit of the program..

[TopGunUkno]

..and is all this gibber jabber leading up to it actually OPENING on saturday cuz thats all i'm worried about...lol

[thewinds]

It's interesting to me that they are so fast to come up with the operator error conclusion. I've seen this attempt in the past with the T-Road and Vortex incidents, when indeed it was a programming/ sensor malfunction. Here, I thought Paramount had sold the park.
So, what they're telling me is that three positions, failed to see that the seats were in an improper position when the train left the station?
So lets examine this... Let's assume the operator did hit the wrong button, and the seats moved out of position. So he/she continued to allow the train to leave the station in this manner?
How about the dual dispatcher, they also allowed the train to leave this way?
And how about position that is responsible for watching the lift? They also allowed the train to depart the station, AND ascend the lift in an improper position? Some thing's fishy to me. There's just too many checks and balances, both human and machine, to allow something like this to happen.

[Pop]

I would doubt it was actually in the 'loading' position going up the lift. People would know. . and if it was me on there. . I'd be screaming for someone, screw that, ha

[insidebackdoor]

This was in fact an operator error as the park revealed however there was an addition to the dispatch station which added a new procedure when the train is actually in motion and leaving the station. It requires the operator to interact with the panel as each row moves past the station. This was a new safety procedure added and without going into further detail the operator was actually using the wrong button. As far as the BORG's safety features.... they actually worked as designed. The seat design and the temperature actually prevenedt the train from making a complete loop. The train was designed that if any of the seats are "protruding" then it slows the train.


The entire ride has been looked at 10 times over since this occurence. As of this morning it is a "GO!" for the weekend!

[TopGunUkno]

Oh my goodness! i'm SOOO excited! =]
My mom thinks I'm crazy for getting on after what happened...
actually...she thinks gettin on the ride PERIOD is crazy lol

Did you all see the weather? Its gonna be HOTT. 80 SUMTHING Partly Sunny!

[coasterholic14]

Did you all see the weather? Its gonna be HOTT. 80 SUMTHING Partly Sunny!

Add on another 15 or so degrees in the paved oven that is Carowinds (20 in the parking lot).