Monorail Pilot Dies in Tragic Accident

In the early morning hours of July 5th two Walt Disney World monorails collided near the Transportation and Ticket Center killing the pilot 21-year-old Austin Wuennenberg.

• Walt Disney World to bring new monorail train into service - (10/15/2009)
  A new monorail train has been made using undamaged remains from two trains that collided over the summer.
• Disney Making Monorail Safer - (9/15/2009)
  The NTSB will monitor Disney's voluntary changes to the safety of monorail operations.
• Disney Pilot's Autopsy Report Released - (7/30/2009)
  The autopsy report for 21 year old monorail pilot Austin Wuennenberg shows the young man died from blunt trauma to the head and torso. There was no indication of "volatiles and drugs of abuse"
• Federal investigators now reviewing corporate records as part of Disney World monorail probe - (7/29/2009)
  The NTSB has requested documents from the Disney Company regarding monorail standard operating procedures, cast member training, as well as mechanical and inspection history of the monorail trains and a track-switch mechanism.
• Mother of Disney monorail pilot expects to sue Walt Disney Parks - (7/16/2009)
  Christine Wuennenberg had her petition to preserve evidence in the monorail accident denied on Tuesday. It is believed that she will file a claim against Disney Parks and Resorts following her son Austin's death in the July 5th monorail accident.
• Monorail collision triggered by worker's failure to activate track switch - Orlando Sentinel (7/16/2009)
  The Orlando Sentinel's Jason Garcia gives the latest information in the continuing investigation of the July 5th monorail accident.
• Disney Monorail Operator Offers Condolences - (7/13/2009)
  62-year-old Alan Rubino through co-worker Dennis Pickering said that he "wishes to extend to the family and friends of Austin his deepest and heart-felt condolences."
• Disney's monorail procedures changed in years leading up to accident - Orlando Sentinel (7/10/2009)
  The Orlando Sentinel updates its article on three Disney workers paid leave with details about changes that have occurred to monorail operations over the years.
• Disney places three on paid leave in deadly crash - Orlando Sentinel (7/9/2009)
  The Orlando Sentinel is reporting a monorail pilot, a monorail maintenance shop employee, and a transportation manager have been placed on a three day paid leave.
• Synopsis of NTSB Report on Monorail Collision - Orlando Sentinel (7/8/2009)
  The Orlando Sentinel offers a synopsis of the NTSB report on the monorail accident includes the suspected sequence of events and actions including Austin's attempt to back away from the oncoming monorail prior to the collision.
• Family, friends remember Austin Wuennenberg as more than a Disney monorail pilot - (7/8/2009)
  Reports from Austin Wuennenberg's memorial held today at the First United Methodist Church.
• NTSB declares No Mechanical Problems in Fatal Monorail Accident - (7/8/2009)
  The NTSB reports no malfunctions have been found with the automatic train stop system, nor with any mechanical parts of the switch. They are focusing on why a switch failed to change positions. They also reported that it appears Austin Wuennenberg, the monorail pilot who died, tried to put his train in reverse to avoid the collision.
• West Palm Beach firefighter assisted passengers after Disney World monorail crash - (7/8/2009)
  Account of the off-duty firefighter who assisted passengers after the monorail crash
• Cherished Memories of Recent Monorail Ride with Austin - (7/7/2009)
  A family recounts their magical experience aboard the monorail with pilot Austin who tragically died in the July 5th accident.
• Monorail Victim was "The Perfect Son" - WFTV (7/6/2009)
  WFTV shares personal stories of Monorail pilot Austin Wuennenberg who died in the holiday weekend accident.
• Disney fans pay tribute to monorail driver by getting #Austin into Twitter trending topics - (7/6/2009)
  Disney fans created the Twitter hashtag #Austin in an effort to get the term into Twitter's trending topics in an attempt to honor the monorail driver tragically killed this weekend in the monorail collision.
• Monorail Reopens After Young "Genius" Dies In Collision - (7/6/2009)
  An overview of the tragic monorail collision including images of the crash, links to the audio of 911 calls, brief remarks from the monorail driver's co-workers and official remarks from Disney.
• Disney World reopens monorail -- with extra safety steps - Orlando Sentinel (7/6/2009)
  Walt Disney World said it reopened its monorail system this afternoon -- after taking new safety steps to monitor track switches, according to a note to employees. According to the Orlando Sentinel report the new procedures include having multiple employees verify that a switch between monorail beams has been completed before a train is allowed to advance.
• NTSB Investigates Fatal Walt Disney World Monorail Crash - (7/6/2009)
  After reviewing preliminary information gathered by Disney World safety investigators, the NTSB decided Monday afternoon to launch a full investigation into the fatal monorail crash. OSHA and the Orange County Sheriff's Office are also investigating the accident.
• Anonymous Former Monorail Pilot Suspects Human Error in Crash - WFTV (7/6/2009)
  WFTV talks with an anonymous former monorail pilot about the general operations of the monorail and offers his speculation that the accident was due to human error.
• Disneyland monorail runs as usual after Florida crash - (7/6/2009)
  Disneyland continued operations of their monorail on Sunday hours after Walt Disney World's collision. Disneyland's routine safety checks showed their system was working properly.