NEED TO KNOW
A ride broke down for 20 minutes at a festival on Aug. 7
At least four people were stuck hanging upside down on the attraction when it temporarily halted
The Apollo 13 ride, which is approximately 180 feet high, is named for the historic NASA mission
A group of thrill seekers’ night turned on its head — literally — after they boarded a ride at a festival.
Guests were at Boardmasters, a music festival in Cornwall, England, when an Apollo 13 ride malfunctioned, per video footage captured by festivalgoers and a statement from festival organizers.
According to a Boardmasters spokesperson, the traveling ride paused in the early hours of Thursday, Aug. 7, after briefly losing power, the Daily Mail reported. The loss of power left riders dangling high above the festival, a TikTok capturing the incident showed.
“At 1 a.m. on Thursday morning, one of the attractions temporarily lost power. As a safety precaution, the ride automatically halted with people on board,” said the spokesperson for the festival, which is situated on fairgrounds in the town of Newquay.
The Apollo 13 ride, named for the historic NASA mission, is an attraction that travels to fairs, festivals and other events across the United Kingdom, according to its Facebook page.
It was paused for 20 minutes, according to the spokesperson’s statement, as well as festivalgoers’ accounts of the incident.
“No, but imagine being up there and it started to move because of the wind,” one TikTok user commented on a video of riders “stuck at the top.” In response, the festivalgoer who filmed the footage said it “was mad.”
While temporarily out of commission, the Apollo 13 ride left up to four thrillseekers dangling upside down. The ride is about 180 feet high, according to its Facebook page, and seats up to eight people, four on each end of the spinning component.
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Still, the technical difficulty was not a dangerous one, according to the festival, and business has been as usual since. (The festival concludes on Sunday, Aug. 10.)
“At no point were guests in any danger,” the Broadmasters spokesperson said, per the Daily Mail. “The ride has since undergone a full safety check and resumed normal operation.”
Spokespersons for Boardmasters festival and the Apollo 13 ride did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment on Aug. 10.
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The Apollo 13 attraction debuted in 2024, according to its Facebook page, which features updates about where the ride is headed next and behind-the-scenes content.
One April post details the work that the operators do every time the attraction opens in a new place.
“Just some of the maintenance being carried out the last few days,” the post states. “Slew ring covers removed, Old grease removed, Full visual inspection of all teeth on ring gear and pinions, All bolts torqued and marked, Fixing the arm lighting and checking the security of all light strips, Greasing all assembly pivot points.”
“That’s just a small portion of what’s been happening before operation starts,” the post continues. “Next on the list is to fully assemble the ride, then on to the gondolas and restraints.🚀👍🏻😁.”
Read the original article on People
