3 ms·

don't they have automatic brakes that activate through centrifugal force when the cabin moves too fast?

• Doxin 8y ago
  Presumably the cabin didn't move too fast. An elevator doesn't just snap a cable, drop 84 floors in freefall, and only /then/ apply the brakes. A lift isn't suspended by a single cable in any case, it's suspended by 7. I suspect the media is making this all sound a lot more exciting than it was in reality.
  • anotheryou 8y ago
    It's more than one cable? I had a cable slip on my once... doors open it went down until it bottomed out. (and faster than normal, but far from free-falling)
    • Doxin 8y ago
      Your average elevator has iirc 7 or 8 cables, each individually capable of bearing twice the load of a full cabin. Cable slip is very unlikely (though not impossible). Something definitely went awry in that situation which is very rare.