A fatal cable car crash at a Swiss ski resort, which saw the cabin fall from the cable and tumble down a mountainside was likely caused by a faulty clamp, one
The crash happened at the Swiss resort of Engelberg, in the Titlis ski area on Wednesday March 18th.
Videos of the incident showed the cabin tumbled several times at a high speed after falling from the cable, before coming to a sudden stop at the bottom of the slope.
It carried just one passenger – a 61-year-old woman who lived in the area and was killed in the crash.
Gale-force winds
As strong winds were shaking the suspended cable cars, “the staff decided to shut down the lift and move the cable cars to safety,” Hans Wicki, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Titlis mountain railways, which operates the cable cars at the resort, told Swiss media on Thursday.
“The accident happened precisely during this process,” said Wicki.
However, though it has not yet been determined whether the gale-force winds played a role in the crash, another cause has been brought up.
Faulty clamps
Norbert Patt, the CEO of Titlis mountain railways said that a loose clamp played a crucial role in the accident.
He explained that each time a cable car enters and exits the station, the clamp opens and closes.
While the exact examination of the clamp in question is not yet available pending further investigation, “what I can say is that this is a cable car system used worldwide. Thousands of these clamps are in use.” Patt noted.
“Each lift is tested to ensure the clamp has sufficient force to hold properly on the cable. Ultimately, however, this clamp came loose from the cable itself,” he added.
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‘Human or technical error’
According to cable car engineer Reto Canale, “there are two possibilities to consider in this crash: human error and technical error. Human error could involve personnel who did not take the clamping force check seriously enough and failed to take the vehicle out of service. Technical error could involve material failure or snagging on a support tower or a foreign object.”
The investigation into the crash is ongoing.
