A part from Millennium Force came loose on the afternoon of Oct. 16 and fell into a VIP lounge for season passholders near the ride, prompting Cedar Point to shut down the coaster and call state officials. No one was hurt on the ground or on the train, and the train was able to return to the station.
Park officials notified the Ohio Department of Agriculture around 4:30 p.m. that day, and two state inspectors were sent to Cedar Point to look into what happened. Bryan Levin said the detached piece was a “nylon spacer that attached the body panels to the chassis of the vehicle,” but the reason it came loose is still under investigation.
What followed was not just a check of the single broken part. Inspectors examined all of the coaster’s trains and found problems that had to be fixed before the ride could run again, including brake blade and brake knife blade issues on Yellow Train Car 8, Yellow Train Car 4 and Blue Train Car 4, loose lap bar padding across several cars on the yellow, blue and red trains, and cracks or damage on Blue Train Car 3. The order was clear: the problems had to be corrected to manufacturers’ specifications before operation.
That is why the closure has lasted beyond the moment of the incident. Millennium Force is one of Cedar Point’s most popular roller coasters, and the state agency that oversees amusement ride inspections is now waiting on repairs and follow-up work before it can be cleared to reopen. For riders, the immediate danger passed on Oct. 16; the harder question is how long it will take to satisfy every requirement that inspectors flagged.
The coaster remains shut until those fixes are completed and the ride can meet state standards again.
