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Daytona Beach roller coaster was closed for a month, reopened day it derailed

May inspection lists 8 failing deficiencies

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DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Sand Blaster roller coaster in Daytona Beach failed an inspection about a month before it derailed June 14, leaving several people injured.

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Records from the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services shows the coaster failed its May 17 inspection due to multiple structural, installation and attachment issues. Eight total deficiencies are listed on the report.

A spokesperson from the Department of Agriculture said the ride was closed between the May inspection and the June 14 inspection, meaning the coaster reopened -- after nearly a month of disuse -- the day it derailed.

Some of the issues listed are "excessive corrosion" to the structural integrity of the ride, damaged restraints and cracked bracing and track. One deficiency is listed as affecting a specific seat.

When an Ohio amusement park ride collapsed in July 2017, CNN reported its manufacturer said the failure came from "excessive corrosion." CNN reported that incident left one person dead and injured seven others.

Roller Coaster DataBase, a website that compiles histories of the amusement park rides, lists the Sand Blaster, which was manufactured in 1975, as having five other locations before arriving in Daytona Beach in 2013. The coaster was also closed from January 2017 to July 2017, according to the website. It's unclear what caused that closure.

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The database lists the coaster as a Zyklon Z64 model.

The manufacturer of the Sand Blaster, Pinfari, was bought by Interpark Amusements in 2007, after the company went bankrupt. Only 10 Pinfari models are still being manufactured, according to the business' website. The Zyklon Z64 model is not one of the models listed.

Currently, amusement parks in the United States, South America and Europe have operating Zyklon Z64 roller coasters. 

 


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