|
Corrosion is being blamed for an incident at the Ohio State Fair last month that left one person dead and seven others injured.
The “Fire Ball” ride, an 18-year-old carnival ride manufactured by Dutch company KMG International BV under the model name After Burner, was subject to a catastrophic failure on July 26. One of the ride’s gondolas, carrying four riders, broke off as the ride revolved.
 |
|
Images: NAFLIC Technical Bulletin |
|
KMG, manufacturer of the Fire Ball ride, said in a statement that a gondola arm on the ride broke due to "excessive corrosion on the interior of the ... support beam."
|
According to a statement written by KMG on Friday (Aug. 4) and released publicly Sunday, an investigation, including a review of video of the incident as well as metallurgical analysis, “determined that excessive corrosion on the interior of the gondola support beam dangerously reduced the beam’s wall thickness over the years.” This led to the eventual failure of the arm.
The After Burner ride, according to KMG, features six four-person gondolas, and revolves at 15 rpm.
KMG said in the statement that it has “worked with industry safety experts to develop an inspection protocol in the form of a Safety Bulletin to allow properly inspected and maintained rides to safely reopen.”
Taking on Water
According to a technical bulletin issued by the U.K.-based National Association for Leisure Industry Certification, it is “understood that an ingress of water occurs during the transport and storage that leads to the corrosion” in the Fire Ball, based on the manufacturer’s investigation of the incident.
 |
|
The ride had been visually inspected for cracks and wear the same day it broke.
|
NAFLIC says in its bulletin that inspectors asked to look at the rides should “arrange to inspect the inside of the structure,” and “undertake a detailed thickness check on the material, over the complete section and record the results.”
Recently Inspected
In the immediate aftermath of the incident, state officials told reporters the ride had been inspected earlier that same day. Inspection records released by the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s Amusement Ride Safety Division show a clean record for the ride; structural inspection points on the reports indicate that inspectors checked visually for cracks or excessive wear, as well as factors like bolts appearing where needed.
The ride was operated by Amusements of America, a company that travels throughout the country setting up amusement attractions. A representative of the company told PaintSquare Daily News on Monday (Aug. 7) that he did not have information regarding whether or how often the ride was subject to recoating for the purpose of corrosion prevention.
On its website, Amusements of America says that “safety is our number one priority” and “to ensure that our equipment remains attractive and mechanically sound, we maintain a state of the art paint shop, ride repair shop and automotive shop.”
Manufacturer KMG did not immediately respond Monday to a request for information regarding what type of protective coating is factory-applied to the After Burner ride, and what kind of maintenance schedule is prescribed for the coating system on such a ride.
A state investigation into the incident is still ongoing.
|
