Water trapped in fair ride may have led to accident

Associated Press

A manufacturer’s explanation that corrosion caused an amusement ride to fly apart in a deadly accident at the Ohio State Fair doesn’t answer why or when it began rusting away or how it went unnoticed.

The details released by the ride’s Dutch manufacturer, KMG, do give some clues about how one of the ride’s carriages with four people broke apart, killing a high-school student and injuring seven other people.

KMG says excessive corrosion within a support beam wore away the steel wall’s thickness over the years, causing the catastrophic failure of the swinging and spinning Fire Ball ride. The company said Sunday it was developing new inspection guidelines.

Corrosion experts say the company’s account points to water or wet debris being trapped within the hollow support arm, likely while it was being transported or stored during the winter.

“You don’t want puddles in any ordinary steel, whether it’s a car, a gutter on a house or a playground,” said Oliver Moghissi, a former president of NACE International, a trade association that calls itself the world’s authority on corrosion.

“If it sits for a long time, you can get higher corrosion rates,” he said.

What’s not clear is how the water got inside the beam. Outside structures should be designed in a way that moisture can’t be trapped, Moghissi said.

“Somewhere inside that there had to be moisture,” said Ron Knight, a chemist who owns Corrosion Pro in Palmetto, Fla. His company has worked with amusement companies on preventing corrosion.