ANGELS FLIGHT MACHINERY EXAMINED FATAL INCIDENT COULD BE A RESULT OF FAULTY PARTS.Byline: Troy Anderson Anderson, river, Canada Anderson, river, c.465 mi (750 km) long, rising in several lakes in N central Northwest Territories, Canada. It meanders north and west before receiving the Carnwath River and flowing north to Liverpool Bay, an arm of the Arctic Staff Writer National Transportation Safety Board officials said Thursday Thursday: see week. they are investigating a possible mechanical failure in the gear assembly that may have caused the fatal Angels Flight disaster last week. ``What we saw coupled with the physical evidence gave us some concern about the mechanical mechanisms,'' said NTSB NTSB abbr. National Transportation Safety Board regional director Dave Watson :For the 1970-80s footballer, see David Watson (footballer). Dave Watson (born November 20, 1961) is a former professional footballer who made 12 appearances for England. He was born in Liverpool and played for Liverpool F.C. . ``We have began to focus on the mechanical system - those gears, assemblies and parts that cause it to work.'' At a press conference at the top of Angels Flight, Watson said he expects a crane will lift the 7,000-pound plate off the gear assembly this morning, giving investigators a chance to look inside and hopefully determine the cause of the incident. Leon Praport, an 83-year-old passenger from Old Bridge, N.J., died from injuries he received when the top car suddenly slammed into the lower car near the bottom of the 298-foot-high hill. The crash sent Praport's wife and six others to area hospitals. About a dozen people were aboard the two cars at the time of the incident. John H. Welborne, president of Angels Flight Railway, said the railway will not be reopened until proper repairs and safety improvements are made and all concerned are convinced the new system is safe. ``The restored Angels Flight has operated safely until this accident occurred,'' he said. ``There have been about 4 million passengers trips taken on Angels Flight in the past five years. We want to know why that record was broken and why people were injured in·jure tr.v. in·jured, in·jur·ing, in·jures 1. To cause physical harm to; hurt. 2. To cause damage to; impair. 3. .'' Because the investigation is focusing on an internal mechanical failure, Watson said the daily visual inspections that were part of the safety protocol of the funicular were unlikely to have revealed such a problem in advance. ``The part we are looking at is well inside the system itself,'' he said. ``We have been trying to dig down to undermine and cause to fall by digging; as, to dig down a wall. See also: Dig to it for a week. We are not there yet. It's not something you'd see in a visual inspection.'' Welborne said investigators are looking two feet deep inside the gear assembly, suggesting the malfunction mal·func·tion v. 1. To fail to function. 2. To function improperly. n. 1. Failure to function. 2. Faulty or abnormal functioning. may have been caused by a defective defective adj. not being capable of fulfilling its function, ranging from a deed of land to a piece of equipment. (See: defect, defective title) product. ``It could be a product liability case,'' Welborne said. ``We are determined to find the cause and then have safety upon safety upon safety to make sure that even if it's the fault of a defective product that it doesn't happen again.'' Watson said NTSB officials are using what they learn from the incident to develop national standards for funicular systems, which are found around the country at places like golf courses, ski resorts, museums and homes. ``This technology is in a lot of different places and a lot of different applications,'' he said. ``The purpose of the NTSB being here is to find out how this happened to prevent it from happening again.'' |
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