Originally Posted By TDLFAN On the evening of June 11th, shortly after the Ngong Pin 360 gondolas had closed for the day... One of the gondolas jumped the cable at one of the towers and plummeted down to a crash hault on the mountain.. The gondola was a total wreck upon inpacting the ground. Coincidentaly, I was at HKDL' hub awaiting the beginning of the fireworks show as this incident was unfolding just a few kilometers away from HKDLR. The next morning... news of the accident made front page news. The Ngong Pin 360 gondola service has been indefinitely suspended pending a full investigation. Even more scary is the fact that earlier in the day, I was riding Ocean Park's gondolas and thinking to myself... what if.. what if... Very spooky. This is unfortunate since I enjoyed the Ngong Pin ride a couple of months ago and was looking forward to riding again in the near future. But now? Not sure I'd like to get on that ride again and be preocupied for over 25 mins each way. Here is a related article from one of the news agencies in HK. <a href="http://www.thestandard.com.hk/news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=46806&sid=14049750&con_type=1" target="_blank">http://www.thestandard.com.hk/ news_detail.asp?pp_cat=11&art_id=46806&sid=14049750&con_type=1</a>
Originally Posted By Roger55 Oh no! Last time I was in HK, the gondolas were not open for busines. I just missed their grand opening. I was looking forward to experiencing them on my next trip. I will of course have to re-think this now.
Originally Posted By SuperDry ^^^ My feelings exactly. <<< Not sure I'd like to get on that ride again and be preocupied for over 25 mins each way. >>> I'm going to assume that they'll identify and resolve the issue before they allow it to re-open. The accident won't stop me from getting on it. I'll probably think about it a bit, but it's no different than when I get on an airplane - even though they crash from time to time, I don't let that stop me.
Originally Posted By katsmom <<I'll probably think about it a bit, but it's no different than when I get on an airplane - even though they crash from time to time, I don't let that stop me.>> Well said! My feelings exactly, but you summed it up much better!
Originally Posted By Roger55 <<but it's no different than when I get on an airplane - even though they crash from time to time>> Statistically however, airline safety is orders of magnitude higher. If you take into account how many planes fly each and every day in the world, over ~50 years of commercial flights, the chances of an airline accident is so much smaller than the chance of another mishap on an individual gondola system that has been in operation for about a year. JMO on levels of confidence.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>The accident won't stop me from getting on it.<< It should. There are weight restrictions too.
Originally Posted By SuperDry <<< There are weight restrictions too. >>> Ouch. Regarding the Ngong Ping, the accident happened when they were testing it running 60% faster than when passengers are on it. What happened shouldn't have happened, but I will put my trust in the system that they'll identify and fix whatever the problem was that caused it to happen, even if it's expensive.
Originally Posted By WorldDisney <<< There are weight restrictions too. >>> <<Ouch.>> OUCH indeed! Are there any color restrictions I should be worried about TDLFAN .
Originally Posted By jlghk <<<OUCH indeed! Are there any color restrictions I should be worried about >>> Check out this article:- <a href="http://www.time.com/time/specials/2007/best_of_asia/article/0" target="_blank">http://www.time.com/time/speci als/2007/best_of_asia/article/0</a>,28804,1614524_1614473_1614447,00.html
Originally Posted By SMCD Wow, June 11th was actually the very day my friend and I went on those gondolas.
