Permanent Closure Feared After 12+ Guests Left Stranded on Aging Six Flags Attraction

More than 12 guests were left stranded on a Six Flags roller coaster recently after the attraction malfunctioned.

This year’s been a big one for theme parks. While The Walt Disney Company announced a multi-billion-dollar lineup of new attractions at Disneyland, Disney World, and beyond at D23 last weekend, Universal has been gradually feeding us new information about its upcoming new Florida theme park, Universal’s Epic Universe.

A serene morning at a magical theme park, featuring a statue of Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, with a majestic castle standing tall in the backdrop amidst a clear blue sky. — Credit: Disney

Even more pressingly, a huge announcement was made earlier in 2024. Longstanding rivals Cedar Fair and the former Six Flags company have officially merged, creating the Six Flags Entertainment Corporation – North America’s largest theme park company – which operates 51 properties throughout the region, including theme parks, water parks, and resorts.

This announcement has grouped the likes of Six Flags Over Texas, Knott’s Berry Farm, Six Flags Great America, Carowinds, and Six Flags Hurricane Harbor water park locations under one banner. As of January 6, 2025, guests will be able to use the same pass to access all of these locations (provided they’ve purchased the All Park Passport add-on).

Guests on a roller coaster at Knott's Berry Farm — Credit: Knott’s Berry Farm

“It’s clear that our guests see tremendous value in the season-pass programs, and we are excited to offer them expanded access to our parks,” Six Flags spokesman Gary Rhodes told USA TODAY.

While guests had initially feared major changes at the parks in the wake of the merger, for now, it seems like everything is ticking over nicely at former Six Flags and former Cedar Fair properties alike. However, there has been some disappointing news for various parks in recent weeks.

Two people, a woman in a pink shirt in the foreground and a man in a green shirt in the background, are enjoying a roller coaster ride at Six Flags. Both are smiling with their hands in the air. The ride is high above green trees and a park area in the background. — Credit: Six Flags

Both Six Flags Over Georgia and Six Flags Great Adventure have postponed the opening of their new roller coasters, Georgia Surfer, and the DC Comics-inspired The Flash: Vertical Velocity, until 2025. Meanwhile, Knott’s Berry Farm announced plans to axe its Wax Works Halloween maze after this year’s spooky season.

Guests have also theorized that another roller coaster is destined for closure at Southern California’s Six Flags Magic Mountain.

At Six Flags, a vibrant red and green roller coaster known as Viper twists and loops under a clear blue sky. — Credit: Six Flags

Last weekend, SF Gate reported that the park’s Viper roller coaster had malfunctioned and stranded over a dozen people. After roughly 30 minutes, Six Flags team members evacuated parkgoers off the ride and down a stairwell.

“The ride stopped due to a common error that occurs occasionally during operation, the error was corrected, and the ride resumed normal operation shortly afterward,” Six Flags Magic Mountain told FOX Business.

Located north of Los Angeles, Six Flags Magic Mountain contains the most roller coasters in a single amusement park in the world at a grand total of 20. Viper – which features a 171-foot drop that leads directly into a series of seven loops – isn’t the oldest ride in the park, but it’s no spring chicken; the steel coaster opened in the Baja Ridge area of the park in 1990.

Entrance to a Six Flags amusement park on an overcast day. The entrance features signage with "Unlimited visits all year with season pass or membership," along with turnstiles, ticket prices, and safety pylons in front. Despite the threat of a Six Flags closure, a roller coaster track is visible behind the entrance. — Credit: Rich Fury, Flickr

Its operational history hasn’t exactly been smooth. A week after it opened, Viper was closed when inspectors discovered weak links in its 800-foot (240 m) long chain. A new chain had to be ordered and installed before it could reopen to guests. In the years since, multiple guests have complained about the ride becoming increasingly rough.

“Do not get on Viper,” one guest warned on Reddit. “This ride was terrible. The restraints that come over your head and onto your shoulders were so hard. There was also a lot of loose space between the restraints and the rider. This meant that every time there was a sharp turn, your head would slam into the sides of the restraints … My head hurt afterwards. I can’t imagine if I little kid went on this how hurt they would get.”

Viper, vibrant roller coaster with red and white tracks, twists and turns against a clear blue sky at Six Flags. — Credit: Six Flags

This recent incident has only added fuel to the fire that Viper’s time is running out. As one Reddit user wrote, “It would be delightful if they could rebuild it. That ride is so old and painful now.”

Worth noting is the fact that roller coasters are designed to stop. If a ride grinds to a halt like Viper did in this instance, that’s a sign that its safety protocols are doing their job. Despite this, rumors have swirled about Viper’s potential closure for a while now. Watch this space.

What’s your favorite Six Flags roller coaster?