Where's OSHA when you need them.
Mechanical Failure Caused Sugarloaf chairlift malfunction
Most people don't appreciate the imbalance of a loaded chairlift. The weight on the uphill side is enormous in comparison to the (empty) downhill side. When the lift motor stops, the whole system wants to equalize, which would be when all of the loaded chairs are at the bottom end of the loop. Chairlifts have brakes (usually a redundant system of two or three braking mechanisms) that are supposed to prevent a "rollback" if the lift motor stops, but if those brakes fail, all hell breaks loose.