Vallejo, California -
(7/30/2012) The ‘Man of Steel’ apparently met his match yesterday (July 29th) in Vallejo, California on the tracks of Six Flag Discovery Kingdom’s newest coaster, Superman: Ultimate Flight. Sunday afternoon during a run, the coaster stalled 150 ft in the air at the highest point of the track, the area at the top of the hill following the launch just before the barrel roll element. At that point, the ride was no longer “faster than a speeding bullet.”

Twelve passengers on board were stuck for nearly an hour and a half at the apex of the coaster, exactly one month after the rides opening on June 30 of this year. Firefighters arrived on the scene around 3 p.m., at which point a crane lifted a “personnel bucket” to allow safety workers access to reach the riders, where they could at least pass out water bottles to those stuck. Firefighters were ready to bring the passengers down in the personnel bucket if the ride couldn’t be restarted, according to SFGate.com, but after 90 minutes the train was unlocked and pushed backwards, where it rolled safely backward back to the station. No injuries were reported from the event.

SFGate.com also reported that Nancy Chan, spokeswoman for the park, said “this was a successful execution of the safety plan as it was designed,” pointing to the on-site crane and bucket, as well as the training local firefighters had in evacuating if necessary.

Opened on June 30, 2012, Superman: Ultimate Flight is a unique coaster from Premier Rides. The ride features a 62 mph launch up a vertical, twisting spike, a barrel roll, vertical drop, and an “outside loop.” The barrel roll itself stands 150 ft over the ground, dubbed “the tallest inversion west of the Mississippi.”

Superman was immediately shut down after the event, pending an investigation into the cause of the stall, but as of Monday afternoon remained stumped. Even with the help of Cal/OSHA on the scene, it seemed a cause could not be found, but everyone agreed that “we have to determine the issue is before it goes back into operation.” The ride underwent diagnostic tests by the maintenance crew throughout the day and have so far found the ride to be mechanically sound, and that it may have been a fluke that the train simply lost momentum too rapidly and it stopped.

No cause has yet been found or determine, meaning the ride will likely remain closed for the next few days until the inspection and investigation are completed.

UPDATE (8/7/12):
Superman: Ultimate Flight returned to action at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom this past weekend after it stalled mid-ride on July 29, leading to its closure until the problem could be discovered. After a week of searching and investigating, the park has yet to find any mechanical problems, maintenance, or operational issues with the ride. The Times-Herald reports that despite not discovering the exact cause, the California Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) gave the park the “go-ahead” to allow the coaster to resume operation.

According to that report, Nancy Chan, spokeswoman for Six Flags, stated that it seems most likely that there was simply not enough power on the launch to get the coaster all the way over the crest of the hill. This caused the coaster to run out of momentum and stall as it balanced itself right at the top of the structure. Safety inspectors cleared the ride for regular operation once again after some it passed safety inspections and test runs.