Railroad Accident Report
Uncontrolled Movement, Collision, and
Passenger Fatality on the Angels Flight Railway in Los Angeles, California
February 1, 2001

NTSB Number RAR-03/03
NTIS Number PB2003-916303
PDF Document(1.3 MB)

Executive Summary: About 12:17 p.m. on February 1, 2001, the two cars of the Angels Flight funicular railway (Angels Flight) collided in downtown Los Angeles, California. The accident resulted in 7 injuries and 1 fatality among the 20 passengers aboard the two cars and injuries to a pedestrian. The Angels Flight Operating Company estimated monetary damage to the cars at $370,000 with an additional $1.2 million to replace the funicular haul system.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was the Yantrak Company’s (Lift Engineering’s) improper design and construction of the Angels Flight funicular drive and the failure of the City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, its contractors (Pueblo Contracting Services, Yantrak, and Harris and Associates), and the California Public Utilities Commission to ensure that the railway system conformed to initial safety design specifications and known funicular safety standards.

The major safety issues identified in this investigation are:

• The adequacy of the safety oversight of the Angels Flight reconstruction project;
• The adequacy of the design of the reconstructed Angels Flight system;
• The adequacy and appropriateness of the braking systems designed for Angels Flight; and
• The adequacy of Angels Flight Operating Company’s maintenance and operating procedures.

As a result of the investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board makes safety recommendations to the California Public Utilities Commission, the City of Los Angeles Community Redevelopment Agency, and the American National Standards Institute.