From our correspondent
STRESA At least one brake of the Stresa-Mottarone cable car that crashed last Sunday (causing 14 victims) would have been deactivated. The analysis of the frames that have taken the carcass of the passenger compartment of the Stresa cable car would leave no room for doubt. At least according to an engineer specializing in ropeways contacted by Corriere della Sera. To deactivate the brake would be a red metal bracket that the workers call a fork in the jargon. It is inserted in the image.
This is an element that always keeps the brake shoes open, preventing them from being activated in case of need. The fork is normally used when the cabins are empty. In this way, the operator avoids wasting time in the event that the brake releases, blocking the cabin in the middle of the path, an event that would force the operator to intervene on site to deactivate it. A circumstance that occurs for example when the power fails or there is a failure of the hydraulic system. With the fork, the car, empty, instead goes down towards the station.
From the examination of the same frame by the Fire Brigade, it is also noted that the other brake is instead regularly open. Which leaves some hypotheses open: “The second fork could have blown away during the accident – says the engineer – Or it could never have been inserted”.
With the people on board the bracket must always be removed, so that the brake is able to work when the unexpected happens and the car remains hooked to the rope. Which unfortunately did not happen in Stresa.
May 25, 2021 (change May 25, 2021 | 18:24)
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