Safety Overridden: The 1976 Cavalese Cable Car Disaster | Plainly Difficult Documentary

The supporting cable broke on the Cavalese Cable Car as a fully loaded Cabin was descending from Mt. Cermis, Italy, On 9 March 1976.
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[@PlainlyDifficult]

Here's this weeks outdo music video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5DcZHqIecidnck Fancy Joining on Patreon: www.patreon.com/Plainlydifficult

[@KarinaMilne]

John! Can you tell me what the small black and white vertical bars are that appear in some frames at the top right corner??? It’s my late night thought tonight 😂

[@Kdschaak]

@@KarinaMilne Yes Please! I have never been able to figure that out either.

[@EarthSurfer]

John, there is a similar accident earlier in March 1976 at Vail, Colorado, with a detachable grip small cabin “gondola” lift when the track cable became frayed / unwound. There is an article from the magazine Sports Illustrated December 13, 1976, available on line. There doesn’t appear to be many photos available from the original accident.

[@nominevacans8173]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lassing_mining_disaster en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kaprun_disaster you should consider covering these incidents. i don't think they are widely known internationally.

[@TheEDFLegacy]

​​@@KarinaMilne It's a visual marker for the audience (and him during editing) to know when the KZbin advertisements are normally supposed to kick in if you don't have premium. I don't know anything about KZbin editing, but I do know there's a way to tell KZbin where to start playing an ad, instead of it kicking in at random. Those marks aren't required for it, which is why you don't see it anywhere else. I know this because he mentioned it in an earlier video. 🙂

[@Treblaine]

1970s: "we have installed multiple safety systems that make an accident IMPOSSIBLE by automatically shutting everything down." Okay, what happens after it's all shut down? "Err, umm, I guess we disable the safety systems and start it again..."

[@chatteyj]

A lot of 70s design is like that I feel, solve one problem with a solution without regard for the problem that that solution creates. Its like they thought they'd solved one problem so should be applauded for that.

[@mauricedavis2160]

Excellent observation of the real world!!!🙏🤔😱

[@Damien.D]

The point in cable car safety is to get the occupants out before restating the thing. It's a very difficult task only high altitude emergency services (with helicopters) can do (one passenger at a time).

[@nonna_sof5889]

@@Damien.D They're suppose to have emergency descent gear of some type in the cabins, like the rope ladders the other side used in this case. Unfortunately that's not always the case.

[@Treblaine]

@@Damien.D Something tells me they wouldn't do that just because a machine told them it was dangerous. And once they disabled the safety system once without consequence, they'd keep doing it until it was too late.

[@TotoroK9]

I winced when you said the car was dragged even after falling. I feel so bad for the survivor, I can only imagine the terror and trauma it caused. Not to mention survivor's guilt. What a horrible accident.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Pretty Horrific

[@itsjohndell]

And you are assuming that no one else was still alive during that horror. The dragging probably killed many. I don't do rides or such out of fear of the knowledge that underpaid kids are running them.

[@Vicus_of_Utrecht]

@@itsjohndell I learned to disable a ride at a large amusement park when I was 16 so I got to have a break. Never with people on. So yeah, like you I never get on this shit. Someone like me but evil is a coin flip away.

[@the_kombinator]

@@Vicus_of_Utrecht Why stop there? Flying is risky too, you're one depressed pilot from assisting in a murder-suicide. Don't even go outside - an unstable driver might mow you down. Don't even eat fruits or vegetables - someone may be putting razors into them or spraying them with biochemicals.

[@bradsanders407]

@itsjohndell you don't have fun out of the fear that 1 in 50,000,000 chance there will be a fatality it will be you? That's reasonable. Bet you don't mind riding in a car though do you? Where you stand a much much greater chance of being killed at 1 in 101.

[@bad_money]

And The fact that they destroyed the evidence should have been enough proof of their guilt.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Sadly its all too often overlocked!

[@Vicus_of_Utrecht]

But Sandy Hook was demolished immediately after the "shooting" and all school & 'death' records sealed. Besides victim's 'parent' laughing before fake crying on TV and the same children were reused for other global tragedies (a boy w/pic said to be killed at Sandy Hook also died in a Pakistani earthquake) ... Yet it's verbotten to say it was a false flag. Alex Jones was right.

[@mauricedavis2160]

US Military did the exact same thing in another cable car tragedy, I guess cover-up is basic S.O.P.!!!🙏😢⚖️🤔😵‍💫

[@ketaminekermit802]

@@mauricedavis2160 where?

[@Emigdiosback]

@@ketaminekermit802 Same place.

[@Silkke]

Was curious how Alessandra handled being the only survivor. She was 14 back then, bad leg injuries and according to her she was afraid for many years afterwards, so probably quite a bit of PTSD. She died 2009 at age 47 of cancer. Carlo is also long gone. He died in 1998 also of cancer, a few weeks after the second Cavalese Cable Car Disaster. Alessandra described meeting Carlo a few times and according to her he got thinner and thinner and never got really over the accident. She also admitted how hard it was to shake his hand since it was the hand that pushed the button.

[@christymcdougall6135]

Interesting and sad, thanks for the information 👍🏼

[@moiraatkinson]

That is really interesting. Funny how often people who’ve been in very traumatic situations end up dying early of cancer, though there’s not supposed to be a link.

[@mjb405]

@@moiraatkinson As far as I know, there's currently no casual link found between stress and increased prevalence of cancer or increased cancer growth in humans. I imagine it can be very difficult to perform a study like that on humans as there would be too many potential variables to isolate just one/a few to see if it would cause an increase in prevalence or growth rate of cancer. Also there would be obvious ethical concerns in a study like that They being said, there have been several studies that have shown a link between stress and increased cancer growth in mice. Possibly because some neurotransmitters may have the potential to increase growth rate/progression and metastisization rates of cancer calls (norepinephrine) or reduce the likelihood of cancerous cells to go through the process of apoptosis (epinephrine)

[@alancolenso3895]

@MJB

[@moiraatkinson]

@@mjb405 thanks for all the info. I agree there isn’t meant to be any link. Maybe when someone gets cancer and are casting around for a reason, they fix on some traumatic incident in the past. Often when we can’t find a reason why something happened, it’s hard to accept.

[@Damien.D]

Nothing beats a good "safety override" button. It can be used to trigger so many disaster and incidents, from cable cars crashing into the ground, to radioactive source exposed while operators are fixing conveyor belts of sterilization chambers, not forgetting the Tchernobyl disaster where all possible safety features were overridden. Inclusion of a big red "MANUAL OVERRIDE" (with a "don't touch! -yesterday shift supervisor" sticky note beside it) is a mandatory option in complex machinery design, because engineers and system designers likes to have some fun.

[@nuclearusa16120]

I always compare the Chernobyl disaster to testing parachute safety by going skydiving without a reserve.

[@Damien.D]

@@nuclearusa16120 *with a known to fail parachute* and without reserve.

[@MiroslavProvod]

This disaster had many common features with Chernobyl, including employing staff for tasks they haven't been trained for, trying to override basic safety mechanisms to get more out the "system", working under stress and time-pressure and then trying to blame it on the untrained person who was instructed to do something they didn't know anything about! Not forgetting these 2 disasters are the worst (to date and hopefully forever) of their kind.

[@elvingearmasterirma7241]

Just a little fun. A little joking. A light touch of trolling

[@sebastianramadan7863]

They have override buttons on buses here, so if the driver won't let you off at the traffic lights you know what button to threaten to press to get the driver to just open the door 😂

[@NateDates]

Time and time again these "accidents" seem to almost always be caused by negligence.

[@dilanbrinkley3587]

I'm surprised that he hasn't gone into some of the telecom tower failures. There are some really interesting engineering that goes into them

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Maybe soon!

[@jhoughjr1]

@@PlainlyDifficult I saw something in my home feed about that this morning. I forget the channel. ALso saw a vid titled, will your dad come home?" and my father is in the ICU with an unlocatable bleed after a heart attack. The alg is mysterious.

[@nunyabidness674]

I'm immediately reminded of the TV tower failure in Wyoming (if my memory serves on the state). 550+ meters of steel skeleton tower coming down just cause 1 dude couldn't be bothered with paying attention to how to rig a lift.

[@fredashay]

But do telecom tower failures cause massive death and destruction?

[@skruntfanatic]

@@jhoughjr1 damn bro no one asked that’s wild though

[@thomasbell7033]

Thanks for another fine piece of historical journalism, John. And yes, please cover the EA-6 Prowler collision with the cable. I'm an aviation writer and this incident fascinates me. It was a shameful chapter in the history of the US Marine Corps.

[@neuralmute]

I second this! When I saw the photo of the wing of a plane, I knew exactly which accident he was talking about. I'd love to hear the PD take on it.

[@darwinism8181]

Allow me to introduce you to Well There's Your Problem's episode on that exact disaster: kzbin.info/www/bejne/l5uQeHSvbK2ppqc

[@masheroz]

When I first saw this video, I thought it was about that incident. Will be watching out for it.

[@Galf506]

The most shameful thing is how nobody really got punished for it... Italy is full of anti-american asshats and a good bunch on the source is accidents like this

[@darwinism8181]

@@Galf506 ...how are they asshats if they've got good reasons for their dislike of Americans?

[@ChristmasCrustacean1]

"a 6 on the disaster legacy scale and an 8 on the cable car only disaster legacy scale" this is how I would like to hear disasters rated from now on, a general rating and a sub rating.

[@andyb1653]

I grew up in Toronto, Canada, and every year in late summer there's the CNE (Canadian National Exhibition), which is essentially a colossal county fair. Back in the late 80s and early 90s, they had a cable car called the SkyRide which ferried people from one end of the fairground to the other. It was one of my favorite things to do there, but stories like this were always in the back of my mind. Especially when the car crossed over the support pylons, which would make the whole contraption shudder and shake.

[@Cris-em9tn]

The closest Six Flags to me is Great Escape in NY, and it has one of the few cable cars left. It only goes in a circle but gives you a good look over everything, including the Story Land structures that the original park had before Six Flags. While it’s cool to see the Old Lady Who Lived in a Shoe’s home, a 20 foot giant shoe, that thing is so old that going over those pylons is horrifying. I’ve ridden newer ones and they don’t shake like this one, which only can carry like 3 people. I had to swear off the ride because the last time I rode it, I had a panic attack.

[@shunk826]

Do you mean the "Alpine Way"? This was described as "a Skyride model of chairlift manufactured by Breco Ropeways Ltd." (from BlogTO) and was in operation at the CNE from 1966 to 1994. The cable car ride at the CNE today is called the "Sky Ride".

[@AudieHolland]

Cable cars are as safe as can be. They are used in many skiresorts all over the world. They are safe, unless you override the emergency safety measures. I went to Saalbach-Hinterglemm many years ago and at the time a massive cable car was in operation. Each car could easily fit over 100 people and there was never any issue with that cable car. There have been one or two costly incidents in 2018 at Chamonix in France and Garmisch Partenkirchen in Germany, the first involving a fire the middle station, causing the cables to collapse and a few cars being destroyed. Fortunately, there were no casualties as the cable cars were empty. Both incidents occurred off-season.

[@neuralmute]

Hey, a fellow Torontonian! For some reason, I've never trusted the cable car at the CNE enough to actually ride it. Of course, I'm also phobic about heights the way my sister shrieks at spiders and my brother freaks over clowns, so I never had the inclination anyway. I let some friends drag me onto one at Banff though, (after a couple of beers) and damn, what a view!

[@andyb1653]

@@shunk826 Yeah, "Alpine Way" rings a bell, but most attendees just called it "the Skyride". I haven't been in years, as I no longer live in the area. Think I was last there in '97. Nice to know they replaced it!

[@johnathansaegal3156]

I was at a ski resort in the early 80s and instead of using the ski lift, I wanted to use the cable car system (the windchill was horrific in the open chair lifts). Both my aunt and mom shouted, "No, NEVER!" simultaneously, then said, "Cable cars are dangerous, don't you remember what happened in Italy a few years ago? This was in the US... news of this disaster was definitely worldwide, even in the era where there were only three news networks. This disaster left damaging shadows behind it for several years after it happened, even across continents and a vast ocean. It took time to fade the memory of this disaster and to this day, my mom, now in her mid-70s refuses to ride in a cable car.

[@LoGaIta99]

Not trusting a cable car, but trusting a chairlift instead is hilarious. There are far more incidents on chairlifts, but less people die at the same time, so they are less newsworthy.

[@FreyasArts]

Not so long ago there was another cable car accident. Tragically only a little boy survived. There the problem was again that they had overriden safety features. A clamp wasn't properly clamped down. If I recall correctly, it was also because they wanted to get more people across faster. It's sad to see how so many accidents happen because of errors that could've easily been prevented had they only followed the proper safety procedures. Edit: I didn't recall it completely right. There's some great informative comments in the replies below for anyone who wants to know more and a link to the Wikipedia article

[@myra0224]

With the rise of capitalism and hunger for money, safety sadly enough will stay an afterthought...

[@PlainlyDifficult]

I Agree

[@patrickjordan2233]

@@PlainlyDifficult I've seen this time and again? A progressively diminishing level of training? "The preceding poorly trained giving 'on the job'...= ever diminishing safety...in very real Life and Death terms... Usually to reduce "costs"/improve profit..

[@clipsotrips6657]

@Bookdragon are you talking about the 1998 casualties involving a fighter jet?

[@FreyasArts]

@@clipsotrips6657 no, unfortunately this happened only last year at Lago Maggiore

[@pdunderhill]

There's always a slightly morbid delight when one of your new productions appear, great work and Thank You John:]

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Glad you like them!

[@Marconius6]

Watching this as a programmer, just thinking: this is why we NEVER share the little hacks we know and build in with non-programmers. Because even if we explain to them HOW to use them, they won't understand WHEN to use them...

[@the_kombinator]

A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. We're definitely not encouraged to give our staff any kind of system shortcuts, not that they could take a life, but data can be compromised.

[@patrickdix772]

Something that happened near me just last Thursday was a parking garage collapse (in Bayshore Wisconsin, USA). No injuries know of as of now (2 cars are still buried but it's unlikely anyone was in them). Obviously this is a recent and (relatively) minor event, but it did bring up discussion of another parking garage collapse from 2010. In that one a decorative concrete panel fell off the O'Donnell Park parking structure in downtown Milwaukee WI. It killed one teenager and injured 2 other people. It's another case of (IIRC) the construction company (or maybe designer) using the wrong materials and / or not considering the local weather. It's also a case that could have been much worse, since it happened during a major music festival and that parking structure is both used by attendees and between one of the entrances to the festival grounds and other parking areas.

[@wolvesone]

ironic just a week or so ago a part of the concrete facade on a parking garage here in my city (south bend indiana usa) collapsed and took out a couple of lamps luckily no one was walking under it and some years back the same thing happened at the same garage the previous owners dumped the building off on another person to avoid the fines and costs to repair

[@EXROBOWIDOW]

During the Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles, a chunk of concrete fell off a parking garage and killed people. This is why people are told that, during an earthquake, it's best to remain inside a building and not try to leave. And if you're outside, get away from buildings. You don't need a building to collapse for it to kill you.

[@CigarRegal]

I remember flying to the US and considering the possibility that the plane might crash, and I reasoned that since death would probably be instant then there would be worse ways to go. When I rode up a cable car near Albuquerque I soon hit upon the deeply unwelcome thought that for much of the ride the fall might not kill me, and the car would be rolling down the mountainside with broken glass and human bodies being torn up inside. It was a very long and unpleasant ride up, and an even longer ride down.

[@RCAvhstape]

Can't be thinking about that stuff all the time, drive yourself nuts. Some people get drunk or take sleeping pills before getting on planes to get through it. I wouldn't recommend that, but you need to take your mind off the endless spiral of bad possibilities and just enjoy the view.

[@maryeckel9682]

@@RCAvhstape I don't recommend getting drunk. Most belligerent passengers have been drinking. Tranquilizers are much better.

[@maryeckel9682]

I recommend watching a few Mentour Pilot videos!

[@RCAvhstape]

@@maryeckel9682 I don't recommend any of that stuff.

[@CigarRegal]

​@@RCAvhstape I actually enjoyed the flight, it was the cable car ride that I resolved not to do again, and getting drunk or dosed up with sleeping pills seems like risky behaviour given that I was going up onto a mountain for the first time.

[@ParadigmShifted]

I never knew there were 2 separate times that something bad happened there. Crazy

[@eliz_scubavn]

Back when I rode one of these in France, it was a little nerve wracking when the entire car rocked from side to side, especially when it went over the support towers. At one time the power cut off and we got stuck about halfway down the route.

[@kennethjohnson4280]

@ Plainly Difficult, The second cable car disaster is embarrassing and shameful. I was in the US Navy at the time, working on the flight deck of an aircraft carrier, so this hit very close to home. Personally, I was disappointed at the findings of the Courts Martial and felt that pilot Captain Richard J. Ashby, and navigator, Captain Joseph Schweitzer, should have gone to prison.

[@Ale-bj7nd]

I live near Cavalese and have been taught by my parents about the frequent air force flights in the area. They never flew again after the disaster, but one year ago a couple of jets passed at low altitude. We were a bit disappointed to be honest.

[@TheDing1701]

Too bad no one makes "disaster postcards" anymore. I'm just morbid enough to collect them.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

I'm a bit like that and my collection of Dictator Money

[@CinemaDemocratica]

Oh my goodness: Very, very rarely does a single fact make me say "OH *NO*!" out loud, but the revelation at the end of this one that it was the exact-same cable car line that was involved in the incident with the USAF is just ... heartbreaking.

[@theultimatereductionist7592]

Carlo should not have been charged let alone imprisoned at all. Glad at least his boss got sentenced.

[@eltontv6002]

was there last year on vacation. really nice old city but i never heard of the 2! cable car disasters. very well done video as always

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Thank you

[@JK061996]

That area was hit by a third major disaster back in 1985. In Val di Stava (a few km away from Cavalese) a tailing dam collapsed and the resulting mudflow swept away the buildings below it, killing 268 people

[@MiroslavProvod]

@@JK061996 Would be nice to see a documentary on Val di Stava as well.

[@chatteyj]

Thanks for covering this, I've heard so much about the later second cavalese incident so wanted to hear something about the 1st incident but there was nothing really about it on the net when I looked. I'm not sure which incident is worse tbh both are equally tragic and careless and what rotten luck to have two major accidents on the same cable car line.

[@MiroslavProvod]

Yes, it's a bad luck, but there are many more coincidences in these 2 incidents, not mentioning the similarity in the surnames of Carlo Schweizer and Joseph Schweitzer. Marcello Vanzo, the cable car operator who was in the tragic cabin in 1998 and died there as a result of the incident, lived in a farmhouse, approx. 200 meters from the point where the tragic cabin in 1976 stopped. In 1998, he changed shifts last minute with a friend who needed a day off which resulted in him being in that unfortunate cabin in 1998, dying only ~200 metres from the place where the first tragic cabin stopped and ~200 meters from his house.

[@MiroslavProvod]

Interestingly, just found out that Ivo Delvai, the cabin operator who died in the tragic 1976 cabin also changed his shift, like Marcello Vanzo in 1998. The reason for Ivo Delvai being that he was supposed to go for a sign up/check to military on Wednesday 10. March 1976 and that same day he was supposed to work. So he changed his shift to work on Tuesday 9. March 1976, which resulted in him being in the tragic cabin. There is not much on the net about the 1976 incident as you say, but Corriere de la Serra is a local newspaper where you can sign up and if you browse the archive on the days following the 1976 incident there is a large amount of details to be found (including black and white photos of the bodies lying on sheets next to the cabin, something not found anywhere else as Google would probably delete it these days). You just need to understand Italian or have someone to translate it for you.

[@nickrollstuhlfahrerson8659]

One thing I, as a person stemming from a small Greek village with a far too long and complicated name, who also happens to be gifted with a similarly long and complicated name, especially enjoy your efforts of pronouncing locations and names as ‘authentic’ as possible for a non-native speaker. The outstanding presentation, underlying humor and research work are great as always. Great work John, keep it up!

[@rickhuff9030]

Similar disaster happened in 1978 at Squaw Valley. I remember having to ride a cable car passed the shattered car, which was still suspended, to get to the top. It took them quite a while to remove it. Terrible.

[@rilmar2137]

I love your content! I have ridden a cable car last summer and absolutely did think about all the cable car disasters I have heard and read of, haha

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Its very scary!

[@Zaitor]

It is sadly not the only cable car disaster that occurred in Italy due to frequent overriding of the safety features. In May 2021, a terrible cable car crash occurred in Lake Maggiore, which was also the result of gross negligence (and perhaps also very poor maintenance) in the use of tools to bypass emergency brakes, which should have used only during maintenance and repairs, not during normal use.

[@Dontmakemerun]

Everytime I hear the word "Safe", I become Plainly Difficult and think about how things called Safe are safe only under the right circumstances. Long time subscriber, and thanks for covering sich a wide range of difficult topics. ❤

[@jamesjenkins8373]

What is up disaster dudes

[@Patco11]

Wassup

[@ItsJustLisa]

I remember this happening. It made the news here in the US too. My grandparents traveled to Italy a couple of months later to visit my grandpa’s cousins. Cavalese is in the north near the Austrian border and my grandpa’s father and uncles came from a town near Turino in the northwest. This was still making news while they were there. Needless to say they kept their visiting activities at ground level.

[@shaunsunley6248]

Love the work John, the detail and accuracy is second to none. My nerdy senses tingle every time I see a new upload

[@PlainlyDifficult]

thank you

[@michaelrichter9427]

Wow. I saw "Cavalese Cable Car" and thought of an incident ... only to find out there was a WORSE one before the one I knew of!

[@Ale-bj7nd]

Thanks for covering this. I live near Cavalese and know very well both disasters. Regarding the second, I have been told by parents about the frequent flyby of the air force in the area. After the disaster they never flew again, but a year ago two jets passed at low altitude. We were a bit unpleased to say the least.

[@blameitondanny]

I love how these old incidents seemed to be caused by not one but a series of multiple unfortunate events but they have one thing in common, an incompetent operator.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Sadly

[@whofandb]

Incompetent because of lack of training so not entirely his fault.

[@Zaprozhan]

Normalization of Risk: The cable slowdown around the pylons was removed to speed things up. Normalization of Risk: The safety override was frequently employed when the safety systems engaged. Maintenance: The telephone on the cable car wasn't working Normalization of Risk: The 40 person limit was frequently ignored. The operator wasn't solely responsible for these situations. They were another victim of them, because they were working on the day everything lined up for disaster. The blame should be placed higher on management that allowed ANY of these situations to develop and exist.

[@annafdd]

Well, except for when you fly a plane into the cable and sever it. Very little the operator can do short of quickly moving the whole cable car assemblage elsewhere.

[@christopherconard2831]

Most systems can handle being overstressed or used outside of spec. Doing so repeatedly along with failures across multiple points is when just a problem ends and catastrophe begins.

[@MG-op5rl]

Loved the groovy ‘70s clothing in your illustrations!

[@aaronpaul5990]

It is interesting to see that there is basically no redundancy in the system .... the cable has to hold. But at the same time cable cars are among the safes transport systems so apparently it is quite possible to make is safe enough to mitigate the risks.

[@fl00ds]

The redundancy is in the design of the cable, typically built to withstand loads far greater than those it will experience in standard use. That and regular inspection is what keeps things safe.

[@chatteyj]

Are cable cars still of the same design? I would think a design where cross over of the two wires were impossible would be a better design! This accident had probably been brewing for months with repeated cable cross overs. Cable cross over = guaranteed failure!

[@fl00ds]

@@chatteyj All the ones I've used recently (i.e. at ski resorts) have non-motorised cable cars that just clamp onto the cable when leaving the stations, meaning you only need the one cable instead of 2. However if memory serves the larger cable cars capable of carrying 40 people still make use of the multi-wire system although the ones I remember taking had 2 support cables instead of just 1 making for a total of 3 wires. All the multi-wire ones I've been on have had spacers at regular intervals between the wires though, presumably to make sure that the wires never come in contact with each other under standard operating conditions.

[@Damien.D]

​@@chatteyj modern design still uses a "fail deadly" cable design. Even on two cable designs, if one fails, the carriage is unsupported fall to its doom.

[@MiroslavProvod]

​@@chatteyj Many cable cars still have exactly the same desing. And cross overs don't have to be dangerous if safety instructions are followed. In fact, once I talked to an operator on a cable car of the same type in Austria and he said that on that particular cable car, cross overs occur on average about 3 times a year. Mostly during windy weather when there are no people in the cabins, but the safety system that stops the engine if a cross-over occurs is very reliable (it basically senses a short circuit). The fact that no other cross over lead to a cable car disaster since 9. March 1976 shows that cross overs aren't dangerous. It was the ignorance of the safety system and restarting the cable car without visual inspection of the cables that lead to the incident (the cables often touched each other without a crossover when cabins went too fast over the pylons in Cavalese so staff became used to the safety system engaging and just kept disabling it).

[@bradhig]

similar to the Texas State Fair skyride accident. The fair forced the skyride to run in high winds with the safety systems turned off.

[@petersimmons7833]

I’m very glad you have the independent “cable car only” scale. That makes much more sense.

[@Ashymations]

I need a compilation of you just saying "Cavalese" 😭 Great video dude! I've neen binging on them for hours now ✌🏾

[@qwertybg333]

As usual an amazing documentary on some of these likely almost forgotten facts and tragedies. Thank you very much and keep going! 🙂

[@Renard380]

I'm always fascinated to see how safety bypasses are designed without a key or anything to prevent their abusive use...

[@scronx]

You soften the blow for us with gentle whimsy -- thank you.

[@martyhopkirk72]

Ahhhh....i got all excited when your upload appeared 😁😁😁 I'd read about this disaster quite a while back....very sad and needless tragedy. RIP all those who died 💔

[@djkarcher1896]

Apart from your nuclear disaster documentaries, this is one of the best I have seen. Another truly horrible accident involving blatant gross negligence would be the Stresa-Mottarone cable car crash in 2021. Maybe something for you to cover in the future. Keep up your good work!

[@technick6418]

When it comes to braided cables comprised of multiple strands of wire twisted together, damage or wear to a few outside strands won't necessarily cause the whole thing to unravel or break. This will, of course, compromise the strength of the cable as a whole, but it is easy to discount what seems to be minor damage as just a 'flesh wound' with no major implications. Big mistake, especially when life safety literally hangs in the balance. Cables are surprisingly abrasive, with even Hellfighters (oil well firefighters) attempting to use them to cut off the damaged tops, or 'heads', of flaming oil wells. This was done to make capping of the spraying oil easier. The tactic didn't succeed as planned, but only because the inferno began to melt the cable before it had gone all the way through the thick piping. RIP to those who lost their lives. Overriding safety systems (outside of during emergency situations) almost never ends well.

[@TheRopeAddict]

John’s channel has never let me down.

[@GigsVT]

I feel like you dropped the ball here. What design factors allowed the cables to cross? What regulations changed? This just feels incomplete.

[@nicklombardi5345]

This is definitely negligence. Thank you for the video, John.

[@frogglen6350]

I hope researching all this dark stuff isn't negatively affecting your mental health. I appreciate your content because I'm morbidly curious

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Its all fine on my end thanks for your concern

[@thiagoaugustomagalhaesdefr125]

John..congratulations for unfortunately showing these accidents..but it is a curiosity in which we use for company as work security...show more videos from Brazil..!!

[@searchanddiscover]

I only just learned about the the 3rd incident in Italy. And to realize it too was the result of negligence and ignoring safety is frustrating.

[@Lebenspiel]

If the cabin designed to carry 40 people is not capable to hold 44 people, it wasn't designed for that 40 either.

[@johnw3379]

Another Great video! Thank you John for the Amazing content! I truly look forward to your videos!

[@sophierolfsen7797]

The "Cable cart only" legacy scale makes me never want to get on a cable cart again.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

:D

[@myra0224]

It's actually pretty safe though! Definitely in comparison to cars...

[@chatteyj]

*car. And I think cable cars are pretty safe these days although I could be wrong.

[@nonna_sof5889]

Be thankful he hasn't been covering normal traffic accidents, they'll make you never want to leave home again.

[@samzx81]

You should do an episode on that observation platform that collapsed in NZ in the 90s (if you haven't already.) I think around 15 people were killed. There's a long documentary about it on YT. It's pretty crazy what happened!

[@TroyVerbrugge]

And two weeks later in 1976, there was another aerial cable accident in Vail Colorado. Not a good month for cable cars.

[@larrybuzbee7344]

I skied (for freedom!) there and throughout the region for three years up till '75, just missing the disaster by a few months. Lovely place, lovely people, great food, skiing, etc. but definitely janky maintenance at many places.

[@MiroslavProvod]

Do you remember if the cabins went very quickly over the pylons on that stretch of the cable car? Or if it ever suddenly stopped (possibly as a result of the 2 cables touching each other)? I'd be interested how long those rules had been broken before the incident happened.

[@larrybuzbee7344]

@@MiroslavProvod I only skied there maybe two or to three times (almost 50 years ago) but I do remember the ride being very to crowded, bumpy at the towers, and a LONG way to the ground. below.

[@MiroslavProvod]

​@@larrybuzbee7344 Thank you for your quick reply. I'd be interested to find someone who would remember whether the cabins slowed down at the pylons and how long before the accident it was, but understand not everyone notices this and 50 years is a long time. If it was bumpy at the towers they could have well already ignored the speed limits near the towers when you took that cable car.

[@Nikusarusan]

nothing more frustrating in these videos than a worker actually trying to prevent the failure and not being able to

[@c.w.8200]

I've taken these in Austria my whole life, they are terrifying, I'm always torn between "the view is so beautiful" and "humans aren't meant to travel like this, this thing will crash!!!", especially when the car goes over a pylon it's like a horror movie 🤮

[@-Bill.]

That is some pretty slim margins if it was recommended to hold 40 and failed with 44. You would think it would be engineered to hold 60-80, especially given variations in human "physiques" A particularly plump group could overload it pretty easily.

[@alexjenner1108]

That was the 1970s and I wouldn't be surprised if 40 random tourists from the 2020s would weigh just as much, if not more than the 44 on the cable car that day. I don't think those extra 4 were the main factor. The higher speed over the pylon seems far more problematic.

[@ChoppingtonOtter]

I was on a cable car in France and the operators absolutely packed it with people. I've no idea how many eventually ended up in behind us or what the limit was but it was a crush and I was seriously concerned but could not get out as we were at the front so squashed right in.

[@EpicSOB_]

I already knew about the plane crash and was expecting that to be this video, I hope you cover it as a follow up to this video, the circumstances of that accident are just as interesting.

[@chriswigen1086]

Wow. I knew there had been a disaster with this system…. And thought at first this vid was about that, until I saw ‘76. This incident I was completely unaware of.

[@IlBrugna]

I'm from south Tyrol and never new about this accident, thanks 👍🏻

[@carlmorrow1600]

You mean to tell me there were 2 different cavalese cable car disasters and the perpetrators had the same last name? Holy smokes

[@SylvesterCarl]

I noticed right off that this cable system used only one load carrying cable. Most modern ones I have seen on here have two. I wonder why.

[@NoNameAtAll2]

new phobia unlocked

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Living the dream!!

[@TheDing1701]

I agree... yikes!

[@RCAvhstape]

Whatever you do, don't watch videos about cave explorers getting into trouble. That's phobia city right there.

[@EstorilEm]

The difference between 40 adults and 44 adults / children is absolutely zero as far as safety margins and engineering considerations are concerned. The issues of cables touching, speed over the pylons, etc is the problem here, the forces exerted during those encounters is exponentially greater than any overweight issue. Also the injuries sustained post-fall due to the safety systems being overridden is a big contributing factor... these operators had no clue what they were doing from an engineering / physics standpoint when they mashed that button... they just wanted to get their paycheck and go home. This is a textbook example of Normalization of Deviance, which is itself a huge issue in modern day safety management systems and safety culture.

[@CB-vt3mx]

In a typical move, the kid in the hut gets the blame while the people actually responsible skate.

[@reedmarkowitz]

JOHN I JUST GOT THE CHARACTER SHIRT IN THE MAIL I HAVE BEEN WATCHING YOUR CONTENT FOR YEARS ILY

[@drowningnixis]

Thank you! Another well done production

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Thanks again!

[@robertpierce1981]

Maxi John! There is a ski lift type ride at the local amusement park. I once talked to an elevator repairman and he had worked on it and warned me to never ever get on that

[@kristinfrostlazerbeams]

Wow you've grown! I remember when your Patreon credit list was a fourth of how long it is now. Could not have happened to a better dude. 👍

[@MarianneKat]

I wonder what a difference automatically putting top mgmt I prison along with the actual employee would do to change mgmts attitude toward safety.

[@rcwagon]

Gotta love the Cable Only Scale. Priceless.

[@lsixty30]

Love your channel, I’ve learned so much about civil engineering and nuclear power and damns, it’s great, and you’re very respectful of the dead, giving the same coverage to tragedies with 1 death as to 1,000.

[@lsixty30]

Is your voice getting deeper? :O

[@nigeldepledge3790]

Jeez! There's no justice, is there? The overloading of the cabin and the overriding of the safety cut-off could only have happened in a company culture that fostered and approved of negligence. Whoever put Carlo in charge of operating the machine without appropriate training was more directly culpable than Carlo himself, and should have gone to prison in his place.

[@The_Modeling_Underdog]

As a citizen of the failed Hispano-Italian love child that is Argentina: Yeah, not a strange thing to happen. Not strange at all. Not in the least of it. Rare thing is it didn't happen earlier. This case shows how corruption, ignorance, and lots of "laissez-faire" can end up in a lethal result even when dealing with equipment that is not inherently dangerous but also completely unforgiving if you take it for granted. Excellent video, John.

[@jupekz6147]

Great video, as always! 👍

[@cyczanin]

John from Southern London, you made my day

[@PlainlyDifficult]

thank you

[@marcturmel924]

'Hey, lets over charge the cabins and not slow down at the pylons' What's the worst that could happen? Negligence sadly strikes again.

[@peterpaldor5866]

Odd. The first thing that popped in my mind was a movie/book title "where eagles dare."

[@ulin4226]

Great video - as usual! Please follow up with a video about the collision between that Air Force jet and the cable car. I remember that happening but don’t recall the details.

[@AnomicDeviant]

“There were more children as usual” My brain: hey! Isn’t that the cart that fell down?

[@BoRaiChoWins]

I was on a cable car in Aspen Colorado and I was absolutely terrified it just doesn’t feel safe. Also didn’t help that the glass inside was shattered.

[@drannn360]

Hey plainly difficult! I loved your video about the pipeline in Bellingham, Wa that’s my home town I remember seeing the aftermath as a kid. I would love to see a video about Palestine Ohio once it is very clear what happened and what they covered/ tried to cover up! Have a good one, cheers

[@vincepeterson5761]

that is very sad I've been on one of those the Palm springs one and coming back down I'm definitely nervous and just hoping nothing goes wrong you know, those poor people😢

[@SonofTheMorningStar666]

At first I thought this was the one with the muricans who clipped the cables with their plane and got away scot free. Maybe it has already been covered here before? Can't remember.

[@timhinchcliffe5372]

I like the sparkler special effects.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Thank you

[@rutgerhauerfan]

Damn, I didn't know there was an even earlier cable car disaster in Cavalese... Thanks for the info!

[@scottl.1568]

What a bloody mess

[@worawatli8952]

Saw the later incident on WTYP podcast, insane stuff. :(

[@jaredmehrlich6683]

4:25 funny inside joke 'Schweitzer"

[@Grimmtoof]

A suggestion for a future video is the collapse of Hotel New World in Singapore. A fascinating story of heroism during the rescue and failure in design.

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Thanks for the suggestion!

[@piwex69]

I didn't know about pre-airplane disaster. I visited Cavalese 10 years ago, great skiing. BTW: We pronounce italian "gi" like Jeep, "gh" like "gimball", "ge" like "Germany" and so on.

[@TheBigDaveB1]

Also, your music is excellent. Much appreciated !

[@PlainlyDifficult]

Thank you

[@GreatSageSunWukong]

just to say I hit the like button on these videos to show my appreciation of your work, not because I like the subject matter

[@PlainlyDifficult]

I appreciate that!

[@eggreedgious5194]

I majored in Schweizernomics with a minor in basket weaving.