It was a normal Wednesday at the farm. September 16, 2009. The air was likely starting to get that slight crispness you only get in Southern California right before the Halloween Haunt kicks off. People were lined up for Xcelerator, that massive, neon-green Intamin launch coaster that basically defines the skyline of Knott’s Berry Farm.
Then, the cable snapped.
If you’ve ever been to Buena Park, you know Xcelerator isn’t just some rickety wooden coaster. It’s a high-tech beast. It uses a hydraulic launch system to sling riders from 0 to 82 mph in exactly 2.3 seconds. But on that afternoon, at roughly 4:00 PM, a steel cable—part of the very mechanism that provides that breathtaking thrust—frayed and whipped through the air.
It wasn't a "crash" in the traditional sense. The train didn't leave the tracks. But for a 12-year-old boy named Kyle Wheeler and his father, sitting in the front row, it was a nightmare.
The Knott's Berry Farm 2009 accident changed how a lot of us look at "cable-launch" coasters. It wasn't just a freak occurrence; it was a wake-up call for the entire amusement park industry. Honestly, when you look back at the footage—and yes, there is horrifying on-ride footage because the park was filming a promotional video at the time—it’s a miracle nobody died.
Why the Xcelerator Cable Snapped
To understand why this happened, you have to look at how these Intamin Accelerator coasters actually work. Unlike a traditional coaster that uses a chain lift to slowly drag you up a hill, Xcelerator uses a "catch car." This catch car is connected to a massive winch powered by hydraulics.
A steel cable pulls that catch car down the track at insane speeds.
During the Knott's Berry Farm 2009 accident, that cable failed mid-launch. Imagine a guitar string under thousands of pounds of tension suddenly breaking. It doesn't just fall; it lashes out. The cable whipped back, shattering the fiberglass front of the coaster train and sending shards of metal and debris into the front row.
Kyle Wheeler bore the brunt of it. His left leg was severely lacerated. His father, Russell, suffered back injuries. The debris didn't just hit them; it sprayed the entire front area of the car.
What’s wild is that the train actually completed its course. Because the cable snapped after a significant amount of momentum had been built, the train cleared the 205-foot "top hat" tower and rolled back into the station. The riders were sitting there, covered in dust and debris, bleeding, while the ride's magnetic brakes brought them to a halt like it was any other Tuesday.
The Warning Signs
Investigation reports from the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (Cal/OSHA) later revealed some pretty staggering details. It wasn't like the cable was brand new. These cables are known as "consumables" in the industry. They are expected to wear out.
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However, the wear on this specific cable was advanced.
Reports indicated that Knott's maintenance crews had noticed some fraying or "kinking" in the weeks leading up to the failure. While there are strict protocols for when a cable must be replaced, something in the communication or the inspection process failed that day.
The Viral Video That Nobody Wanted to See
We live in an age where everything is recorded, but in 2009, it was a bit rarer to catch a major accident on high-definition video. The reason the footage of the Knott's Berry Farm 2009 accident is so clear is that the park was actually filming.
They wanted marketing material.
Instead, they caught the exact moment the cable disintegrated. You can see the puff of smoke, the cable whipping upward, and the immediate reaction of the riders. It’s haunting. Kyle Wheeler's face goes from excitement to pure shock in a fraction of a second.
This video became a cornerstone of the subsequent lawsuit. It's one thing to describe a cable snap; it's another to watch it shred a ride vehicle in real-time. The Wheeler family eventually sued Cedar Fair (the parent company of Knott's), alleging negligence in the maintenance of the ride.
The lawsuit claimed that the park ignored "obvious signs" of cable fatigue. While the specific settlement amount was kept confidential—as these things usually are—it’s widely understood to have been a significant sum given the severity of Kyle’s leg injuries and the psychological trauma involved.
The Industry Fallout: More Than Just Knott's
You can't talk about the Knott's Berry Farm 2009 accident without talking about the "Intamin Cable Curse."
This wasn't an isolated incident.
- Six Flags Kentucky Kingdom (2007): Just two years prior, a girl lost both her feet on Superman: Tower of Power when a cable snapped. That was a drop tower, but the technology was eerily similar.
- Cedar Point: Top Thrill Dragster (Xcelerator's much bigger brother) has had multiple cable-related "shearing" events.
- Hersheypark: Storm Runner has faced similar maintenance hurdles.
Basically, the industry realized that while hydraulic launches are thrilling, they are maintenance nightmares. The amount of stress put on a steel cable to move a multi-ton train to 80+ mph is astronomical.
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After the 2009 accident, Xcelerator was closed for a long time. Months. When it finally reopened, it featured new safety magnetic shields and more frequent cable replacement cycles.
But the damage to the reputation of cable launches was done.
If you look at modern coasters being built today—like Pantheon at Busch Gardens or VelociCoaster at Universal—they don't use cables anymore. They use LSM (Linear Synchronous Motors). These use magnets to propel the train. No contact. No cables. No snapping.
The Knott's Berry Farm 2009 accident was essentially the beginning of the end for the hydraulic launch era.
Living With the Aftermath
For Kyle Wheeler, the accident wasn't something you just walk away from. He underwent multiple surgeries to save his leg. In interviews years later, he spoke about the phantom pains and the sheer terror of hearing loud noises.
Knott's Berry Farm, for its part, had to undergo a massive internal audit. Cal/OSHA didn't just give them a slap on the wrist; they demanded changes to how inspections were logged. They found that the park's internal "allowable wear" standards were sometimes inconsistent with the manufacturer's (Intamin) recommendations.
It’s a classic case of a park trying to maximize "uptime." Every day a major ride like Xcelerator is down, the park loses money. But as we saw in 2009, the cost of staying open with a compromised cable is infinitely higher.
Is Xcelerator Safe Now?
People ask this all the time. Is it safe?
The short answer: Yes.
The long answer: It's probably one of the most scrutinized rides in the world now. After the 2009 accident, the inspection protocols became redundant. There are sensors now that can detect minute changes in cable tension.
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But you'll notice Xcelerator is down for maintenance a lot. If you plan a trip to Knott’s, there’s a 50/50 chance the "Green Machine" won't be running. That’s actually a good thing. It means they aren't taking risks. If even one strand of that cable looks funky, they pull the plug and spend the week replacing it.
What We Learned from Buena Park
Safety is an evolution.
We often think of theme parks as these perfectly oiled machines where nothing can go wrong. But they are mechanical systems. They're subject to friction, heat, and gravity.
The Knott's Berry Farm 2009 accident taught us that even the best parks can get complacent. It taught us that "visual inspections" aren't enough when you're dealing with high-tension steel.
It also highlighted a weird quirk in California law regarding permanent amusement parks. Unlike "traveling carnivals," which are inspected every time they move, permanent parks like Knott's or Disneyland largely handle their own daily maintenance, with state oversight coming in for major incidents or annual checks. This accident forced a tighter grip on how those daily logs are reviewed by the state.
Practical Advice for Theme Park Fans
If you're a coaster enthusiast or just a parent taking the kids for a day out, there are a few things to keep in mind regarding ride safety.
First off, don't let the 2009 incident scare you off coasters entirely. Statistically, you're more likely to be injured driving to Knott's than you are on any of their rides.
However, pay attention to "Ride Closure" signs. If a ride has been cycling on and off all day, or if you see maintenance workers looking stressed near a launch track, maybe skip that one for an hour.
- Check the status: Always use the Knott's Berry Farm app to check for scheduled maintenance. Xcelerator is frequently down for cable swaps.
- Follow the rules: The "arms down, head back" rule on Xcelerator isn't a suggestion. In a launch, your neck needs that headrest support.
- Report what you see: If you’re in line and hear a weird grinding sound or see something that looks "off," tell an attendant. They’d rather check a false alarm than deal with a cable snap.
The Knott's Berry Farm 2009 accident remains a dark spot in the park's history, but it's one that paved the way for the ultra-safe magnetic technologies we see in the 2020s. We moved away from the brute force of cables and toward the elegance of magnets.
Next time you see those green towers, remember that the "snap" you're hearing is hopefully just the wind—because the lessons learned in 2009 were paid for in blood and shattered fiberglass.
Actionable Insights for Your Next Visit:
- Verify Ride Status: Before buying a ticket specifically for Xcelerator, check the official Knott’s Berry Farm website’s "Scheduled Closures" page. This ride has the highest downtime in the park due to its complex cable system.
- Understand the Tech: If you are nervous, look for rides that use LSM (Linear Synchronous Motors) like HangTime. These don't use cables and are fundamentally incapable of the type of "snap" accident that occurred in 2009.
- Support Safety Legislation: Stay informed on how your local state (like California’s Cal/OSHA) regulates amusement park inspections. Transparency in maintenance logs is the best way to prevent history from repeating itself.