CARRABASSETT VALLEY, Maine (AP) — Investigators looking into a chairlift malfunction that injured seven skiers at Maine’s Sugarloaf ski resort believe the rollback was caused by a broken drive shaft on a gearbox.
They also say an emergency brake activated automatically, contrary to early reports that a worker had to manually activate the brake system.
A team released the findings of a preliminary review and investigation to The Associated Press on Wednesday.
Officials say the gearbox failed in a way that took the two main brake systems offline, necessitating the emergency brake. They say another brake system that’s akin to putting a stick in the spokes of a spinning bicycle wheel failed to activate because of a design flaw.
The Saturday mishap came just days before top skiers began arriving for the national alpine championships, which started Wednesday.
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