#9 -- VertiGo collapses
Cedar Point Top 10 Stories of the Decade
Late in the summer of 2001, Cedar Point debuted a new upcharge ride in Challenge Park. VertiGo, designed by S&S Power, featured three 265-foot towers. A six-passenger triangular carriage attached to cable that connected to the towers. Compressed air shot the carriage off the ground, yanking it to the sky at speeds of 50 mph. Variations on the ride offered guests the chance to rotate then nose-dive to the ground, as well as rotating at launch and traveling much of the ride upside down.
On January 14, 2002, a 200-foot section of the ride collapsed. The park was well into its off-season and the incident caused minimal damage. However, Cedar Fair announced on March 6, 2002 their decision to disassemble and remove the ride at both Cedar Point and Knott's Berry Farm.
The cause of the collapse was determined to be vortex-shedding. Each of the 265-foot towers were designed to sway up to five and a half feet during operation. During a windy off-season day, without cables to dampen the energy, the towers swayed up to 15 feet, eventually causing one to snap.
Article on cause of VertiGo accident
Article titled "THRILL RIDE SUPPORT SNAPS DURING OFF-SEASON" located near bottom of page on left side.