Cargo Ship Drops 132 Ton Locomotive While Suspended 15 Feet in the Air

In a spectacular example of lifting gear failure, this 132 ton EMD GT46C-ACe locomotive was dropped while being transferred from the ship to the pier.

The lifting gear suffered a complete failure, that’s obvious, but why?

Here are some questions that will most certainly be looked at:

1) Was the rigging inspected by a qualified rigger?

2) Were the load ratings of the rigging used legible and physically attached to the slings used?

3) It appeared that a wire rope failure occurred.  Was the correct shackle size being used?

4) How much wear was on the wire rope before this rigging operation?  Were any strands noted as worn or broken?  If so, to what percentage?

5) Were there any permanent kinks, birdcaging, or signs of crushing in the wire rope before this lifting operation began?

6) Was the weight and the center of gravity of the locomotive known?

7) How was the sling led underneath the locomotive?  Any sharp points?

Any other considerations?

Updated: November 14, 2012 (Originally published November 13, 2012)

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