Elevator

[rogerwilko]

A question to ponder. Why did the elevator in the B25- Empire State building incident plummet to the bottom? I thought there was an automatic device built in to elevator shafts to prevent this very thing!

 

[FLYBOYJ]

A question to ponder. Why did the elevator in the B25- Empire State building incident plummet to the bottom? I thought there was an automatic device built in to elevator shafts to prevent this very thing!

Perhaps not back then or they weren't required by law.

 

[vikingBerserker]

IIRC it was equipped with this but it failed, either by fate or due to the accident.

 

[swampyankee]

The safety mechanisms, invented by Otis (and no doubt others), were present. Debris from the collision severed some of the elevator cables, which probably disabled the safety mechanisms. See The Day A Bomber Hit The Empire State Building : NPR

 

[N4521U]

I thought this was a word association thing, didn't realize it was a serious question.
Pardon my stupidity........................... again.