Deadly Disney World Monorail Crash-Updated with NTSB Report

[Polynesian Dweller]

If it's not a safe place for guests, then it wouldn't be a safe place for cast members either. However, I can see that it could possibly be a distraction to the cast member.

And that's one of the reasons it may not be safe to have guests up there. There may also be ways to strengthen the cast area since it sits back from the window but not the passenger area. Lots of unknowns at this point and the investigation will inform us of that.

If the area can be made safe for all (including diminishing distractions for the CM) then it will be safe to ride there.

People will dwell on this for some time. That is human nature when a tragedy occurs. But, as my post says, time is a great healer and eventually the emotions that cause people to dwell on this will also fade.

[seanyred]

Here's an idea I had to allow guests to ride up front again. (keeping in mind I don't know all the ins and outs of running the monorail system). Why can't they have rule that states that no passengers are allowed upfront during times when trains switch tracks. I can't imagine the monorails switch tracks all that often during the busy time of the day. That way it would only affect the mornings at opening and at night during closing hours.

[antngoof89]

Here's an idea I had to allow guests to ride up front again. (keeping in mind I don't know all the ins and outs of running the monorail system). Why can't they have rule that states that no passengers are allowed upfront during times when trains switch tracks. I can't imagine the monorails switch tracks all that often during the busy time of the day. That way it would only affect the mornings at opening and at night during closing hours.

Great idea. I'm positive that would be a great step neccesasry in allowing people to ride up front again, the thing is, I doubt anyone will be able to ride up front with the pilot again for some period of time due to this accident even if that would be a reasonable security tool.

[Lizzy]

ORLANDO -- The 21-year-old monorail pilot who was killed in a crash earlier this month at Walt Disney World died as the result of multiple traumatic injuries, according to an autopsy report released today, FLORIDA TODAY news partner WKMG Local 6 reports.

Austin Wuennenberg was killed July 5 when his train and another monorail train collided near the Magic Kingdom.

The medical examiner wrote in the report that Wuennenberg's death was accidental and he suffered blunt trauma to his head and torso. Abdominal and chest injuries were consistent with traumatic compression, the report stated.

The autopsy report also stated that toxicology results for "volatiles and drugs of abuse" were negative.

Meanwhile, the National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday said Walt Disney World has provided "most of the documents" requested in its investigation, including employee training records, work history, standard operating procedures, maintenance and inspection history.

The federal board said it has completed all equipment testing and witness interviews in the investigation and that the next release of information can be expected within six months when the accident docket is made public.

A previous report, released July 8, revealed that there were no mechanical malfunctions involved in the crash.

[Skippy]

Hi All,

Was poking around, and found a msg board post from a former Railie on another board.

This answered one of my questions about the attempt to put Purple in reverse, and since the reversing was brought up here, I hope it helps explain to others:

If Austin saw Pink backing towards him, he had a split second to make a decision.

Let go of the MAPO Override? Nope, that would just re-engage the system and immediately apply the emergency brakes. I wouldn't want to be "locked down" to the beam by my brakes just prior to a collision.

Mash his emergency stop button? Nope, again, he'd find himself "dead in the water" and effectively "locked down" to the beam by the powerful brakes and increase the force of the impact by not being able to "bounce back" and lessen the severity of the collision.

Throw the train's directional selector into "reverse"? Nope, until he pulled back on the brakes and came to a complete stop, with the "zero speed" indicator lit up, he could not change directions. Moving the switch to reverse while still moving would have caused a full service stop, again making him a sitting duck.

I'll bet he did it right. He probably tried to get on the radio and either alert Central or break radio discipline and yell at Pink to stop. (Trains do not talk to other trains. Drivers communicate to other trains through Central or a station. For instance, if you've been holding at a strange hold point for way too long for no apparent reason, your radio transmission should not be, "Monorail Black, why are you holding at Pylon 215?" It should be, "Central, be advised I've been holding at 185 for five minutes. Can you advise as to system status?" Central will call Black and find out why he's not moving.)

Best case scenario would have been to begin calling for the Pink train to mash his emergency stop mushroom button, while simultaneously pulling back on the MCU trying to get to zero speed as soon as possible. Once stopped, he might have had time to reverse his train's selector which would have made the train start "looking" behind it for other trains, and seeing none, given him a thirty mph speed limit to take off in the opposite direction from Pink as fast as possible.

That's a lot of stuff to try to do in a very, very short time. The best, most experienced drivers would have a hard time thinking of the only logical conclusion and executing it in time. I don't know that anybody would come up with the correct decision in a split second.

He might have been safer if he'd jumped the twenty feet to the concrete below, but this is inconceivable to a driver.

[antngoof89]

Hi All,

Was poking around, and found a msg board post from a former Railie on another board.

This answered one of my questions about the attempt to put Purple in reverse, and since the reversing was brought up here, I hope it helps explain to others:

This was a great find... really really great find. I found it extremely informative and greatly written. I just wanna know where they're going to pin the blame for this freak accident.

[DizneyRox]

This was a great find... really really great find. I found it extremely informative and greatly written. I just wanna know where they're going to pin the blame for this freak accident.

My guess is it'll be on Pink and the manager on duty at the time.

[JPL]

My guess is it'll be on Pink and the manager on duty at the time.

I would guess it would be more on the manager if the Driver of Pink was simply doing as he was instructed by Monorail Control.

[Ed]

It's been a long time coming, but the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released several hundred pages of its investigative reports yesterday.

[DizneyRox]

Excellent and interesting reading... Thanks!

[Ian]

Wow ... so many things I could say here in response to those written statements, but I think I'll keep my mouth shut.

Scary is the only thing I'll say. Scary.

[DizneyRox]

Yeah, I hadn't gotten to those yet, I was just looking at their Personel File documents, etc. I'm guessing that the Control Tower transcripts cut off at the time of the accident because of pending legal proceedings and they don't want to taint any potential jury pool, etc.

This release of info could keep me reading for a while! Very interesting stuff and a fantastic look at the inner workings of WDW operations..

Which honestly, probably is very much like what goes on inside a lot of corporations, with regards to information gathering.

[BellesRose]

I just wanted to read some of the testimonies. Wow. The one that got me the most was Adrienne, driving the black monorail, and pointing out the other monorail to the little girls UP FRONT WITH HER. I'm SO thankful they were with her and not up front in one of the other cars.

And on that note, I don't think I can read any more of this.

[Altair]

Scary is the only thing I'll say. Scary.

It's really scary that a custodian is far more literate than an EMS professional.

[Buttercup]

So sad & scary to read. So many different accounts of the same story -- some a little harder to follow than others.

Forgive my ignorance - I can't remember, but did they ever conclude what the cause of the accident was? I read the Shop Panel Operator's statement and it looks like he thought the lines had been switched but then after the accident realized they weren't?

[DizneyRox]

From everything I've read, it appears that it's that Shop Operators fault, unless there was a false positive that the switch happened.

It looks like Pink driver was one violation from being removed from Monorails, but this doesn't appear to be his problem. Better visibility would have been nice, but he was just doing what he was told.

Above all, after reading all I have, I find it an amazing stroke of luck this hadn't happened before.

[Buttercup]

I really wish that BOTH ends of the monorail trains had a driver's seat. Then, if they have to go in one direction, they get out and go down to that end of the monorail to drive FORWARD, as opposed to ever having to reverse.

So, so sad reading those first hand accounts. I can't imagine the guilt and horror that was felt everywhere.

[Disney Hungarian]

I really wish that BOTH ends of the monorail trains had a driver's seat.

All trains have driver's seats at both ends. Known as cabs 1 and 6.

[Buttercup]

So then, if there are driver's seats, why do they reverse? The transcript from the Pink Driver said he never liked reversing because he was relying on other people to tell him it was all clear, but that it never sat well with him. He said he WANTED to be able to see where he was going, but that it's just not possible when you're in reverse, so you've got to just trust the other people.

[Disney Hungarian]

So then, if there are driver's seats, why do they reverse?

Because they only use one pilot. The express route and the resort route operate in opposite directions and therefore require cabs at both ends. The maintenance "roundhouse" does not turn the monorails around and there are only two main switches on the mail lines. Switches one and two are for the resort and express lines and the switches eight and nine are for the epcot to express line or the spur line. Since the accident they are using a live spotter at the switching stations and the pilots now only drive forward through the switches. It is the safest way to do it.