NTSB report on Monorail Crash

[RadioNate]

I just wanted to post this update. The old thread is on pg 5 and 17 pages long so I didn't want this info lost.

The NTSB has released their 1st report on the incident. The final report will take up to a year.

According to the report, they are blaming the crash on a switch failure. So the theory about monorail pink backing into monorail purple was correct. The report doesn't indicate that there was any mechanical problem with the switch.

The report also indicated that driver Austin Wuennenberg did stop his train and attempt to put it in reverse to avoid the collision.

Also, according to local news reports (WESH) 2 employee, the on-duty manager (who was at an LBV restaurant at the time of the crash) and the maintenance person in charge of making the track switch have been suspended without pay.

Such a horrible tragedy that should have been avoided.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Thanks for the update!

 

[TnTsParty]

Also, according to local news reports (WESH) 2 employee, the on-duty manager (who was at an LBV restaurant at the time of the crash) and the maintenance person in charge of making the track switch have been suspended without pay.

Such a horrible tragedy that should have been avoided.

OMG - the part I bolded above is unbelieveable. How can the on duty manager not even be around - how is he managing??? I guess that is why he was suspended without pay. How horrible that someone had to die while the manager was not doing his job.

 

[DizBelle]

OMG - the part I bolded above is unbelieveable. How can the on duty manager not even be around - how is he managing??? I guess that is why he was suspended without pay. How horrible that someone had to die while the manager was not doing his job.

"On duty" could just mean "on call". S/he may just have to be available but not necessarily on property.

 

[Geoff_M]

I guess that is why he was suspended without pay. How horrible that someone had to die while the manager was not doing his job.

Before you say that, you need to be sure that the job required that he be at his post at the time. Another CM, perhaps a subordinate, might have been on station while the manager was on a authorized meal break.

 

[loveysbydesign]

Here's a link I found to the story
http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news...y-monorail-ntsb-update-070809,0,3212363.story

 

[RadioNate]

OMG - the part I bolded above is unbelieveable. How can the on duty manager not even be around - how is he managing??? I guess that is why he was suspended without pay. How horrible that someone had to die while the manager was not doing his job.

I don't really want to cast blame because I'm sure none of these people ever expected something like this to happen but yeah sitting in a restaurant, off property, while giving instructions over the radio looks bad.

As a former transportation cast member (not monorails) I will say that it isn't unusual. While the off-property restaurant is unusual but having a duty manager not being on site isn't terribly unusual.

What makes this night problematic is that the person designated "monorail control" for the night had gone home sick. So with 'monorail control' absent, the current 'on duty' manager was filling both rolls.

The person in charge of 'flipping the switch' was also suspended. I think we can hazard a guess that they either didn't switch it or didn't do it correctly since, according to the NTSB, there was no mechanical malfunction.

I do wonder why the driver of monorail pink didn't notice they were on the wrong track and why no CMs at the station noticed that the trains were on the same track.

 

[Kim&Chris]

So Austin was driving the purple monorail, right? And the pink monorail was moving backwards, towards the purple one., which is what made Austin try to slam his monorail into reverse. So who was driving the pink one? And why was it moving backwards? Am I missing something, or am I misunderstanding this?

 

[Geoff_M]

I really find the whole multiple system failure aspect of the accident just baffling. Disney had so many "fail safes" in place from reading that article, I don't know what more could have been done other than preventing any overriding of the collision warning system.

Given that it appears that the victim was aware that things were "collision imminent" and appeared to have been taking action to avoid it, I wonder if he attempted to use the radio to try and call a full stop to things?

 

[happygirl]

Maybe the manager was on break or at lunch. I don't like to see the blame put on one person

 

[Geoff_M]

So Austin was driving the purple monorail, right? And the pink monorail was moving backwards, towards the purple one., which is what made Austin try to slam his monorail into reverse. So who was driving the pink one? And why was it moving backwards? Am I missing something, or am I misunderstanding this?

from the story posted above:

"With workers preparing to shut down for the night after the end of the busy Fourth of July holiday, Disney's "pink" train -- each train is identified by a colored stripe along its side -- was instructed to drop all of its remaining passengers off at the Transportation and Ticket Center. Its pilot was then told to advance along the Epcot line until just beyond a switch for the spur leading to a Magic Kingdom loop; there the train was to wait until the track was realigned and it could take the spur to return to the system's maintenance bay for the night.

The train was then instructed to begin traveling in reverse -- even though the track's switch had not changed position.

At the same time, Wuennenberg, who was piloting the "purple" train farther back on the Epcot line, was instructed to advance into the Transportation and Ticket Center so he could drop off his six passengers.

Before he reached the station, Wuennenberg apparently realized the pink train was backing toward him. That is where the NTSB said it appears he stopped his train and attempted to shift into reverse -- and where the pink train smashed into him."

 

[Kim&Chris]

Thank you Geoff.

I just watched this video. This might be one of the saddest things I've seen:

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/vide...e54704b-0bb6-4551-99a8-a52a47764cb5&src=front

 

[RadioNate]

So Austin was driving the purple monorail, right? And the pink monorail was moving backwards, towards the purple one., which is what made Austin try to slam his monorail into reverse. So who was driving the pink one? And why was it moving backwards? Am I missing something, or am I misunderstanding this?

There are several articles at WESH.com, cfnews13.com, and the orlandosentinel.com that have explination. The news channels also have video with animations of the crash.

But in short, Austin was driving purple into the TTC from Epcot. Pink was attempting to switch onto the Magic Kingdom express beam from the Epcot beam which is a common procedure at the end of the night. That procedure includes backing into the TTC. Some how the switch didn't happen so Pink backed into Purple.

We don't know who was driving pink and if people have any bit of human compassion, they won't release that name. That person has a life time of bad feelings to deal with. They don't need the internet casting blame.

Maybe the manager was on break or at lunch. I don't like to see the blame put on one person

It was 2 am and they were at a restaurant in Lake Buena Vista. Little far to go for a break and a little late for a dinner. But again, as a former CM, I know that this isn't terribly unusual. This manager obviously trusted the CMs to do the job correctly (which is common) and trusted the backup systems.

This one person isn't to blame and neither is the driver of monorail pink. There were multiple failures. Monorail control went home sick, the on-duty manager was off property, the switch operator failed (for an unknown reason) to make the track switch, the CM will the kill switch didn't notice what was happening and so on and so on........no one thing was responsible. And that, to me, makes it even more heartbreaking.

 

[Kim&Chris]

There are several articles at WESH.com, cfnews13.com, and the orlandosentinel.com that have explination. The news channels also have video with animations of the crash.

But in short, Austin was driving purple into the TTC from Epcot. Pink was attempting to switch onto the Magic Kingdom express beam from the Epcot beam which is a common procedure at the end of the night. That procedure includes backing into the TTC. Some how the switch didn't happen so Pink backed into Purple.

We don't know who was driving pink and if people have any bit of human compassion, they won't release that name. They don't need the internet casting blame.

Agreed. It definitely was not any monorail driver's fault.

 

[Lachesis00]

How sad it could have all been avoided

 

[happygirl]

.



It was 2 am and they were at a restaurant in Lake Buena Vista. Little far to go for a break and a little late for a dinner. But again, as a former CM, I know that this isn't terribly unusual. This manager obviously trusted the CMs to do the job correctly (which is common) and trusted the backup systems.

.

I'm not sure how late the manager got off.

 

[Chicago526]

There were multiple failures. Monorail control went home sick, the on-duty manager was off property, the switch operator failed (for an unknown reason) to make the track switch, the CM will the kill switch didn't notice what was happening and so on and so on........no one thing was responsible. And that, to me, makes it even more heartbreaking.

It's what's called an "event casscade" Take one of the failures out, and the accident wouldn't have happened, just like if you take one domino out of a line, they stop falling.

The whole thing is just so sad.

 

[frndshpcptn]

The on-duty manager out in LBV does surprise me.

I was a CM in 1998 and 1999. In 1998 I drove the Friendship Boats and honestly can not remember a time when we had no managers on property during a shift.

They weren't on the boats with us, but could be found in the office or walking around the Epcot Resort area / World Showcase.

I worked at the Mk as well, and always recall having a manager on-site during my shift there...

Maybe things have changed a lot since then?

 

[dispor]

I'm posting this question because I know there are a couple current/former monorail drivers reading this...

Do the monorails have a horn/whistle, like a train has? And do they have a "backing up" warning sound like a truck has? I am just curious - not looking to place blame anywhere.

 

[olena]

Thanks for the update!