Ride Breakdown at Knott's Berry Farm Leaves People Dangling 300 Feet Up

The WindSeeker thrill ride at Knott's Berry Farm remains shuttered Thursday for inspections after leaving 20 people dangling some 300 feet in the air for more than three hours. It was the ride's second breakdown in less than two weeks.

The park's newest ride, which opened in August 2011, stopped working around 4 p.m. Wednesday, said park spokeswoman Jennifer Blazey. A security system on the ride caused it to shut down, she said.

Riders were left stranded until about 7:50 p.m., nearly two hours after the park's 6 p.m. closure. There were no reports of injuries, Buena Park police Cpl. Andy Luong said.

Firefighters were not called in response to the mishap, said Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Marc Stone said.

The WindSeeker has 32 two-person gondolas that go 301 feet up and then swing riders for a minute at a 45-degree angle at eight rotations per minute, according to the theme park's website.

``I'm just happy to be on the ground. I kept imagining I was going to fall,'' an 11-year-old girl from Temecula, her knees still shaking from the ordeal, told KCAL9 after crews lowered the gondolas to the ground.

The ride, made by Dutch manufacturer Mondial, also became stuck on Sept. 7, Blazey said. In that case, the problem stemmed from a faulty reading on an
electrical safety switch that is not a part of the ride, park officials told the Orange County Register. On that occasion, 15 people were reported stranded.

- City News Service