Lucky Escape As Lift Plunges 10 Floors At Pattaya Hotel

[cannonball]

I thought 10 person was the maximum in a lift?

Not when you can fit in 16 !

Haven't you ever heard of trying to put as many people in a car as possible? circa 1960's and volkswagen LOL

[pdrhan]

I wonder if anyone inside bothered jumping just prior to the elevator impacted with the ground? Thats what I would of done.

Yeah right...you would probably know ......and when you jumps , the lift cage smashes into the safetybumper and then due to the force moves upvards again , your head will probably be smashed hitting the cage roof....

[MJP]

I thought 10 person was the maximum in a lift?

Have you seen the size of some of these Pattaya tourists? That lift could well have been carrying 4800lbs or 2177 kilos or 2.177 tonnes.

Here are the workings:

Arithmetic mean average weight of Pattaya tourist: 300 lbs

Number of Pattaya tourists in lift come Disneyland ride: 16

16# x 300lbs = 4800 lbs

1 kg = 2.20462248 lbs

4800/2.20 = 2177 kgs.

1 tonne = 1000 kgs.

2177/1000 = 2.177 tonnes.

Just as a matter of personal preferences I refuse to get on a elevator with 15 other people my size.

Also reading these posts can be upsetting I had no problem with it happening in third world countries but

Tywais

You ruined it with the post about America having so many problems. No wonder Dean Martin was afraid to take elevators. Oh well I fly and the odds of getting hurt on the elevator are probably worse.

I was 160kgs (352lbs) two years ago, now 90kgs. So, yes I know what you mean. I was scared to get in an elevator with me! 

[Thaihog]

Corners are cut and people get hurt. But I am serious about my last comment. It is surprising that we don't hear about MORE of these kinds of accidents in Thailand, so somebody is doing something right.

It always amazes me why there are not jets falling out of the sky in Thailand. The service technicians will be getting paid peanuts no doubt and that coupled with the mai mee pann ha (no ploblem) Thai attitude, should be a recipe for a disaster

[DexC]

Seems like every day, there's bad news from Pattaya. What's happening???

Seems like every day, there's bad news from Thailand. What's happening is that "Amazing" is taking another meaning. The education system is an over-regulated joke; the political system was abandoned in Europe in the 17th Century; and the general populace find no alternative but to shrug "never mind" or follow a greedy peid piper to protest against the justice system removing half his fortune.

Siam's strengths have become Thailand's weaknesses. Technology is bought in from other societies which might as well be other planets because nobody is investing in the safeguards that surround these technologies on the planets from whence they came.

[neilf]

I have worked on lift shafts and it has been demonstrated to me several times how this is impossible.

One can only conclude that the lift was of some design that is completely unacceptable for public use or some essential parts had been removed and the lift shouldn't have been in service.......or the story is false.

THe number of people is pretty much irrelevant as the lift won't move if overweight.

Unless of course the floor fell out!

nothing is impossible in thailand---------------no hse no nothing expect the unexpected---------amazing thaiand !!

[techboy]

16 in a lift???

That sounds too many for a standard lift,unless they were Koreans and very light and thin

What is really scarey is that I get the idea that you actually think that you are being clever.

[Tracechain]

Uh, first floor please!

[neverdie]

Its amazing that all these amazing thailand comments get called as if lifts are plunging every second day right accross the country. I don't ever recall hearing of this before, although I do recall a lift worker being crushed to death not so long back when working in a lift shaft with the lift still operating.

Anyway, perhaps some shouldnt be so critical of thai, perhaps this had nothing to do with Thailand, other than the accident occuring here, of course.

[jim4pim]

Whilst this is an horrific story I wonder if the facts are correct. If the lift fell from the 18th floor through 10 floors it would be at the 8th floor not the ground floor. Unless of course the ground floor is the 8th level and there are 7 underground floors.

However 16 injured suggests some form of braking motion otherwise they would be dead.

could be the power failure only occurred wheb they were at the tenth? problematic anyways..........glad to hear no one was killed......:jap:

[mika255]

I didnt think this was possible, if there is a failure they are supposed to stop/lock where they are , i have a friend that works for otis and im sure he told me this, bizzarre

Yeah ... But not compare OTIS with the materials in use in Thailand !

[kimamey]

I thought 10 person was the maximum in a lift?

It depends on the size of the lift.

My father was an electrician and used to work on lifts (usually on ships) and what he told me seems to agree with what some have said here. The lift is held in place in the shaft by a mechanical bake which I think was metal arms that engaged the lift shaft. These were released by taking the weight with the cable so if the cable broke the lift was stuck. Once that's done the lift is also counterweighted so it won't descend with the full weight of the occupants. I think there is also a mechanism to stop it working if it's overloaded.

I suppose it's possible to have bad luck where more than one safety device fails at once even with correct maintenance but more likely something wasn't checked or was overridden to keep the lift working maybe with the intention of fixing it later. It can happen even in ultra regulated, safety concious western countries so with Thailand's reputation anything is possible. Safety procedures almost always work but humans don't always abide by them.

I hope everyone recovers ok. I'm sure some will never use a lift again which given the height of some buildings could severely affect their lives from now on. If they work on say the 30th floor that could just stop them working.

[hjvdhoef]

I thought 10 person was the maximum in a lift?

Not when you can fit in 16 !

Yes 10 Americans or 25 Thais.

[hjvdhoef]

The group had entered the lift at the 18th floor before an unknown power failure resulted in the lift freefalling 10 floors before hitting the ground level?????

18-10 makes 8 isn't?.How is it possible that they hit the floor level?

[backsoon]

Uh, first floor please!

Plenty of jokes about Thais, Koreans, Chinese and obese Farang. Had a good laugh...

On a serious note, - we have a typical mis- (des-) information from the local media. These guys will report anything except reality.

The accident didn,t happen the way it was described. Impossible!

10 floors free fall and you would scrape the meat off the floor.

Power failure, cable snap, etc. - lift stops, not falls.

Overload, - lift does not start.

Anything else that did happen was no accident. It was an accident waiting to happen.

Reporter must have his/her head checked. Too many things out of joint.

[nevets]

It would seem that many safety features of the lift has been disconnected or where not there in the first place.

[ScubaBuddha]

They will probably find that the missing emergency brake pads also fit a Honda Click.

[kimamey]

I wonder if anyone inside bothered jumping just prior to the elevator impacted with the ground? Thats what I would of done.

Might be a bit difficult to know when to jump. The floor indicator wouldn't be accurate enough and there was a power failure anyway. Also you would only be jumping up in relation to the lift cage which was descending and when you start falling again the lift could be rebounding from the buffers at the bottom. Still thinking all this through while falling 10 floors will take your mind off things i suppose.

[jayjay0]

I thought 10 person was the maximum in a lift?

Have you seen the size of some of these Pattaya tourists? That lift could well have been carrying 4800lbs or 2177 kilos or 2.177 tonnes.

Here are the workings:

Arithmetic mean average weight of Pattaya tourist: 300 lbs

Number of Pattaya tourists in lift come Disneyland ride: 16

16# x 300lbs = 4800 lbs

1 kg = 2.20462248 lbs

4800/2.20 = 2177 kgs.

1 tonne = 1000 kgs.

2177/1000 = 2.177 tonnes.

Just as a matter of personal preferences I refuse to get on a elevator with 15 other people my size.

Also reading these posts can be upsetting I had no problem with it happening in third world countries but

Tywais

You ruined it with the post about America having so many problems. No wonder Dean Martin was afraid to take elevators. Oh well I fly and the odds of getting hurt on the elevator are probably worse.

I was 160kgs (352lbs) two years ago, now 90kgs. So, yes I know what you mean. I was scared to get in an elevator with me!

What was the answer. Not that high and no intention of getting there but at 68 it dosen't go that fast.

[neverdie]

I wonder if anyone inside bothered jumping just prior to the elevator impacted with the ground? Thats what I would of done.

Might be a bit difficult to know when to jump. The floor indicator wouldn't be accurate enough and there was a power failure anyway. Also you would only be jumping up in relation to the lift cage which was descending and when you start falling again the lift could be rebounding from the buffers at the bottom. Still thinking all this through while falling 10 floors will take your mind off things i suppose.

Well if you carefully measured the height at which you entered the lift and before doing so you obtained information as to what speed the lift normally travels at, then deducted this distance already travelled when freefalling commenced, then it would only be a simple calculation to accerately determine at exactly what moment you should launch yourself from the lift floor.

Such an easy calculation would probable even allow you a bit of time to release some girly screams. Of course I didnt allow for the rebound off the bump stops at the bottom .

Seriously this is a fear of mine & I can't help but think about it every time I get into a dam_n lift, its a terrifying business.

[tonywebster]

I wonder if anyone inside bothered jumping just prior to the elevator impacted with the ground? Thats what I would of done.

Might be a bit difficult to know when to jump. The floor indicator wouldn't be accurate enough and there was a power failure anyway. Also you would only be jumping up in relation to the lift cage which was descending and when you start falling again the lift could be rebounding from the buffers at the bottom. Still thinking all this through while falling 10 floors will take your mind off things i suppose.

Well if you carefully measured the height at which you entered the lift and before doing so you obtained information as to what speed the lift normally travels at, then deducted this distance already travelled when freefalling commenced, then it would only be a simple calculation to accerately determine at exactly what moment you should launch yourself from the lift floor.

Such an easy calculation would probable even allow you a bit of time to release some girly screams. Of course I didnt allow for the rebound off the bump stops at the bottom .

Seriously this is a fear of mine & I can't help but think about it every time I get into a dam_n lift, its a terrifying business.

it was covered on tv, mythbusters i think, and also QI, jumping before impact will not save you as you rightly state there are springs at the bottom which will bounce the lift back, also the lift will hit around 100 mph and the jump will only take a few mph off the speed. The solution is too lay down on a fat person to cushion your fall, so get a fat mate and take him everywhere with you. ( I am available, but not cheap).

Normally though there are many cables and a braking system to slow then stop the elevator,

[LJW]

Seems like every day, there's bad news from Pattaya. What's happening???

It has always been my impression of Pattaya- That bad things happen more in bad cities..

[LJW]

Seems like every day, there's bad news from Pattaya. What's happening???

It has always been my impression of Pattaya- That bad things happen more in bad cities..

[neverdie]

. ( I am available, but not cheap).

Ohhh, I've heard differently

I should of known mythbusters would of had a crack at this one. Wonder if there is a youtube video?

edit: the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAMX1aqWwKM

Edited July 25, 2010 by neverdie

[DonGato]

It truly sounds like a horror movie... although the highest horror would have to be the explanation to how in the modern world we live in, something like this can happen with all the safety protocols the lift manufacturers are supposed to get through and with double and triple respond systems of emergency... I guess it is something to be just explained with a simple "only in Thailand"... <img class="bbc_emoticon" alt="" src="http://static.thaivisa.com/forum/public/style_emoticons/default/whistling.gif"><br>

[tonywebster]

. ( I am available, but not cheap).

Ohhh, I've heard differently

I should of known mythbusters would of had a crack at this one. Wonder if there is a youtube video?

edit: the video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAMX1aqWwKM

cheeky haha

here is the link for mythbusters

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dAMX1aqWwKM

[kimamey]

I wonder if anyone inside bothered jumping just prior to the elevator impacted with the ground? Thats what I would of done.

Might be a bit difficult to know when to jump. The floor indicator wouldn't be accurate enough and there was a power failure anyway. Also you would only be jumping up in relation to the lift cage which was descending and when you start falling again the lift could be rebounding from the buffers at the bottom. Still thinking all this through while falling 10 floors will take your mind off things i suppose.

Well if you carefully measured the height at which you entered the lift and before doing so you obtained information as to what speed the lift normally travels at, then deducted this distance already travelled when freefalling commenced, then it would only be a simple calculation to accerately determine at exactly what moment you should launch yourself from the lift floor.

Such an easy calculation would probable even allow you a bit of time to release some girly screams. Of course I didnt allow for the rebound off the bump stops at the bottom .

Seriously this is a fear of mine & I can't help but think about it every time I get into a dam_n lift, its a terrifying business.

Hmmm never thought of that. I'll remember to do that next time. I'm a bit surprised you have time to be scared doing all that. I hope you don't have a fear of stairs.

What if others survive and tell everyone about my girly scream? Now I'm scared.

[George4]

It would seem the experts ho say it is impossible for a lift to fall are and are not correct.

And to the knockers of Thailand who just can't help themselves This is not exclusive to Thailand lifts have fallen all over the world so it would seem the impossible is very possible.....to the stairs lads

When the Tower Bridge lift fell 10ft there were 16 people in the lift

Only 6 suffered broken legs and ankles the rest walked away unhurt.

Maybe some of out American friends have heard of the Empire State building? Cable broke and the lift plunged 400 (Four hundred feet)....of course that's impossible to.

Then there was the Fitzgeralds Hotel in Las vegas their lift plummeted 26 floors.

When this report said the lift plunged 10 storeys what they forget to mention is the speed of the so called freefall....pretty obvious the safety mechanism kicked in and saved the occupants from certain death.

I think the last few idiots who overcrowded the lift are to blame and are dam_n lucky the lift company and hotel did their part in maintaining the lift or they would all be dead.

[samjaidee]

I thought 10 person was the maximum in a lift?

Have you seen the size of some of these Pattaya tourists? That lift could well have been carrying 4800lbs or 2177 kilos or 2.177 tonnes.

Here are the workings:

Arithmetic mean average weight of Pattaya tourist: 300 lbs

Number of Pattaya tourists in lift come Disneyland ride: 16

16# x 300lbs = 4800 lbs

1 kg = 2.20462248 lbs

4800/2.20 = 2177 kgs.

1 tonne = 1000 kgs.

2177/1000 = 2.177 tonnes.

Falling lift

The above link is the whole story.

16 Thais at a work seminar.

It was a mix of men and women so lets say an average of 70kgs.

70 x 16 = 1120 kgs.

The lift would have been designed for 10 large western men. Lets say an average of 100 kgs.

100 x 10 = 1000 kgs.

So 16 Thais is not really that many.

[britmaveric]

Never even thought about safety standards with elevators in thailand. Like most everything here safety wise stands to reason that it would be neglected or a shortcut taken.