Flight of the Gibbon death

[Krapow]

Canadian guy

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-47936101

Canadian tourist dies after Thailand zipline wire snaps

• 2 hours ago

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Image copyright AFP Image caption Chiang Mai is a popular tourist destination in northern Thailand

A Canadian tourist has fallen more than 100m (330ft) to his death after his zipline cable snapped in northern Thailand, authorities say.

Authorities in Chiang Mai say the 25-year-old man was on holiday with his girlfriend and a group of friends.

The cable gave way soon after he was released from the start of the zipline course on Saturday, local media report.

The attraction, Flight of the Gibbon, has now reportedly been shut while police investigate.

Thai authorities are investigating several issues, including whether the weight limit was exceeded and any potential negligence on the part of the operators.

A spokesperson for Canada's Department for Global Affairs told BBC News: "Our thoughts and sympathies are with the family and friends of the Canadian citizen who died in Thailand. Consular services are provided to the family and loved ones of the Canadian."

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Flight of the Gibbon's zipline course in Mae Kampong village, Chiang Mai, is about 5km long with 33 different platforms, making it one of the longest in Asia.

It was temporarily shut in 2016 after three Israeli tourists collided with each other and fell to the ground, suffering non-fatal injuries.

 

[Stillearly]

[Krapow]

1 hour ago, Stillearly said:

Aye, would be very dubious about trying stuff like that or saying parachuting, or extreme sports in Thailand or similar. 

Elph and safety!

That said, the scuba diving off Krabi was top notch!

[boydeste]

Very sad.

RIP

[Skalliwag]

I’m out.

 

[Lanzalad]

Im sure its not the first time its happened in Thailand.

My mate asked me to go with him.. i told him to do one, no way.

[Horizondave]

I don't tend to involve myself in dangerous sports or high energy activities, age and inclination are the reason there. 

Ever since I fractured my ribs when falling off one of those banana boats at Jomtien I have given those sort of activities a wide berth. My thoughts also are that having lived in Thailand for 15 years previously you do see quite a few accident reports in the papers about bungy jumps and the likes so Thailand would not be on my list of destinations for 'having a go'.

I can see why people do try them out though and this accident is just another sad tragedy that probably should not have happened.

[Sir_Fondles]

holy shit how dodgy is that cable with all them clamps on it.

RIP.

[Thai Spice]

3 hours ago, Sir_Fondles said:

holy shit how dodgy is that cable with all them clamps on it.

RIP.

Saw that, but I cant make any sense out of it on my phone screen.

I guess it is one end of the main cable on which the ride is sliding.

Will have a look later on my laptop.

 

[nampla69]

3 hours ago, Horizondave said:

Ever since I fractured my ribs when falling off one of those banana boats at Jomtien

Do tell more ....... like what really happened. 

Bit like the bloke in Suzie Wongs in Bangkok who got a dart in the eye back in the day  ..... took him a while to convince the insurance company but hey ho 

[forcebwithu]

7 hours ago, Sir_Fondles said:

holy shit how dodgy is that cable with all them clamps on it.

RIP.

Agree with TS, looks like the the main cable, the end of which wraps around the tree trunk and is secured using the U-bolts. What I find interesting, and scary, is it looks like the cable has been spliced and the splice is only secured with one U-bolt. 

Edited to add another interesting image. Flight of the Gibbon obviously didn't do a Google search before constructing their zip line.

[Sir_Fondles]

6 minutes ago, forcebwithu said:

Agree with TS, looks like the the main cable, the end of which wraps around the tree trunk and is secured using the U-bolts. What I find interesting, and scary, is it looks like the cable has been spliced and the splice is only secured with one U-bolt. 

 

 

Defo been spliced but WTF is the go with all those clamps, surely a proper swage crimp would be better suited.

[Steelers4Life]

8 hours ago, Horizondave said:

I don't tend to involve myself in dangerous sports or high energy activities, age and inclination are the reason there. 

I hear ya! Same here - my thrill seeking days are over. I fell out of a shower stall at the VIP sauna in Patts 2 years ago and dislocated my thumb FFS. So shit like the Flight of the Gibbon are definitely out of the question. When I have to hold on to the railing going down staircases, I know my time with that crazy stuff is over.  

[Thai Spice]

43 minutes ago, Sir_Fondles said:

Defo been spliced but WTF is the go with all those clamps, surely a proper swage crimp would be better suited.

I dont think it was spliced mate !

The loop part looks too perfect to have been spliced, and near the bulldog clamps you can see it is not spliced. Spliced means interwoven (?) and how more you pull how tighter the "weaving" gets.

 

Besides that when splicing a cable you DON'T use bulldog clamps !

And when looking near the clamps it looks to me that the clamps became loose, slipped and teared the dead end to pieces. When using bulldogs clamps you should regulary check their tightening, as under the traction the ropes tends to diminish in diameter with time. 

I have done quite  a bit of splicing on steel cables (dia 15mm to 25mm) to make lifting slings etc in my young days. Remember I worked on cranes. In recent days splicing is frowned upon, and crimping is the way. Mainly because you need a certificate every bit of rope and sling.

Here under 2 videos showing clearly the technique of splicing. It are smaller wires but the principle is the same for bigger ones, only takes MUCH more efforts.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsfll_7CdEQ

(vid doesn't embed for the above link ?)

 

Splicing is also used on telecabine cables, do a search on YouTube.

 

But again it is difficult to be 100% affirmative from seeing that single picture . Now if I had the cable under my eyes, or more detailed pics from different angles I could make a 99% sure diagnostic.

First question to ask : Since how long was the cable installed ? 

It could have been replaced recently, by less qualified people than the ones that installed / commissioned the installation before ?

[forcebwithu]

@Thai Spice what is the purpose of the bottom bulldog clamp? Does it look like that part of the cable has been spliced?

[forcebwithu]

I'm a risk taker by nature. I did the Chiang Mai Flight of the Gibbon in 2009, although knowing what I know now I would consider it a risk not worth taking.

[Sir_Fondles]

24 minutes ago, Thai Spice said:

I dont think it was spliced mate !

 

 

 

 

Ok.

[thumper63]

It's not easy to see just what is going on with that cable in those photos. But one things for certain....it sure as hell isn't done correctly. 

 

[Thai Spice]

1 hour ago, forcebwithu said:

@Thai Spice what is the purpose of the bottom bulldog clamp? Does it look like that part of the cable has been spliced?

I was wondering that as well, no explanation for this .

Could it be that is was used as a "stopper" for the trolley running on the cable ? 

Same as why the black tape ?

1 hour ago, thumper63 said:

It's not easy to see just what is going on with that cable in those photos. But one things for certain....it sure as hell isn't done correctly. 

 

Agreed with your 2 statements.

Another thing we need to keep in mind is that all this was maybe tampered with before the police arrived ! 

I mean, if the victim fell 100 m, and we exclude a trolley rupture or opening, we exclude the cable broke somewhere in the middle, and stick to the loop end of wire rope they show here, why is the loop still closed ?  

If the wire slipped out of the wire clamps, causing the loop to open, and the wire rope to go AWOL, why on the picture is the loop closed (poorly) and the clamps hold it together ?

 

 

[Horizondave]

11 hours ago, nampla69 said:

Do tell more ....... like what really happened. 

Bit like the bloke in Suzie Wongs in Bangkok who got a dart in the eye back in the day  ..... took him a while to convince the insurance company but hey ho 

It was actually my ex wife's sister who was behind me when we got flung off and she smashed into my ribs on entering the water, only discovered the extent when I collapsed a day later when walking to a cave in Kanchanaburi. The sister was calling me all names as I tried to walk slowly and gasping to the cave entrance, she wasn't laughing when I was at the hospital with the x-ray showing what she had done to me.

[boydeste]

14 hours ago, forcebwithu said:

@Thai Spice what is the purpose of the bottom bulldog clamp? Does it look like that part of the cable has been spliced?

It looks to me like that bottom clamp is joining two pieces of straight wire together and the tape is protection from the end strands that have been cut. Unreal.

[eyes4thais]

I have done "Flight of Gibons" twice. The second time was about 1 hour from Pattaya, 9yrs ago with My niece.  If I had thought it was not safe I would have never taken my Neice.

I would be more inclined to think that the trolley can of the main cable, causing a jolt on the safety line. These are probably not checked everyday and are only tested when you are relying on them to save your life!  It may also be the jolt, put extra pressure on the safety hook couple with a bit of fatigue and it caved.

Or simplest of all, trolley came off and they forgot to clip in safety line!

[Thai Spice]

2 hours ago, eyes4thais said:

I have done "Flight of Gibons" twice. The second time was about 1 hour from Pattaya, 9yrs ago with My niece.  If I had thought it was not safe I would have never taken my Neice.

I would be more inclined to think that the trolley can of the main cable, causing a jolt on the safety line. These are probably not checked everyday and are only tested when you are relying on them to save your life!  It may also be the jolt, put extra pressure on the safety hook couple with a bit of fatigue and it caved.

Or simplest of all, trolley came off and they forgot to clip in safety line!

You could be right, see what the Jakarta Post says :

But then again, the rest of the article is self contradictory crap, and the Jak Post doesn't have a great reputation, so .......

 

 

[Skalliwag]

Young man was from Fruitvale,in the Kootneys.

small town in the interior of B.C.

Beautiful little spot and the town is very sad.

[Phantom51red]

RIP,, No way do these get routinely checked imo,changed out,colour coded with dates of inspection no chance,thai laziness at best,and a young man lost his life because of it,shut the place down.

I done the zipline from pattaya tower years ago,would never do it now,would not trust any of these adventure adrenilin sports places in thailand,specially when ye see most of the thai staff just moochin about smoking playing with phones ect ect without a care.