Authorities Investigate Bronx Zoo Cable Car Breakdown
NEW YORK (AP) -- Investigators were examining whether a wind gust might have been to blame for a gondola breakdown that left passengers dangling over the Bronx Zoo for almost five hours.
The zoo's Skyfari ride remained shut down Thursday, a day after the mishap.
Thirty-seven passengers were stranded Wednesday at heights of up to 100 feet when one of the cable cars became misaligned in mid-flight.
No one was hurt, and Fire Department officials said there was no danger the gondola would fall. But one family was evacuated by crane and other passengers were stuck until mechanics got the ride going again at 10:20 p.m.
The accident was being investigated by the state Department of Labor, which, in addition to monitoring workplace standards, inspects cable cars and amusement park rides.
Authorities said the Skyfari halted automatically when one of the wheels in the gondola's arm popped off its cable.
It wasn't immediately clear why it dislodged, but the mishap occurred just as a fast-moving thunderstorm began to roll through the Bronx. The ride stalled before the rain hit, but it is possible that an early gust might have knocked the wheel loose.
``That's something we're looking into,'' said Linda Corcoran, a spokeswoman for the Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs the zoo.
Operators of the ride are supposed to shut it down when they suspect that a storm is approaching. Thursday's thundershower was brief and was preceded and followed by fair weather.
The breakdown was the Skyfari's first since it opened in 1973, Corcoran said.
Labor Department records indicate it was last inspected by the state on April 9, and passed all safety checks, except for a minor violation related to the improper use of an extension cord to charge radios in a control booth.
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The zoo's Skyfari ride remained shut down Thursday, a day after the mishap.
