Құлаған ағаштан жасалған американдық тау-су айдыны

Defunct wooden roller coaster
the song with the same title by TO1

Son of Beast was a wooden roller coaster located at Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, United States. Built and designed by the now defunct Roller Coaster Corporation of America (RCCA), the ride opened as the tallest and fastest wooden coaster in the world on April 28, 2000. Its record setting height of 218 feet (66 m) made it the first wooden hypercoaster – a height class of 200 feet (61 m) or more. It was also the first wooden coaster in the modern era to feature a vertical loop and reached a record breaking maximum speed of Son of Beast was marketed and themed as a sequel to The Beast roller coaster, one of the park's signature attractions that was built in 1979. Son of Beast met an early demise following two non fatal but serious incidents, with the first occurring in 2006 and the second occurring in 2009. There were also issues with the ride's construction affecting its reliability and longevity. After sitting idle for years, the roller coaster was eventually demolished in 2012. A new steel coaster, Banshee, was built in its place and opened in 2014. The height and speed records once held by Son of Beast remain unbroken.

The Roller Coaster Corporation of America (RCCA) discussed the idea of building the world's first wooden hypercoaster with Kings Island in 1997. On May 11, 1999, the park held a public event within the park near a large, covered crate placed along a footpath.

The Roller Coaster Company of Ohio was officially recorded as the ride's designer, an affiliate of RCCA. The primary structural engineer was Wooden Structures Inc. of Georgia, while the lumber was manufactured by Universal Forest Products of Hamilton, Ohio. On January 11, 2000, a portion of the ride was damaged due to a strong gust of wind. It was later revealed that the second hill had collapsed by itself. The wooden structure was being held in place by a temporary ribbon support system and had been constructed only a day earlier. The ride was planned to open on April 14, 2000, but construction was halted due to rainy weather. As a result, the coaster's opening had to be delayed. In addition, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration fined Paramount $110,000 in February 2000 after discovering 18 safety violations during two inspections, including 11 that were deemed "serious".

Son of Beast officially opened to the public on April 28, 2000. The sign at the ride's entrance featured a large wooden crate covered with chains, rope, and metal straps, resembling the one on display during the public reveal in 1999. The front was ripped open with the name "Son of Beast" centered on the inside. The day after the ride opened, officials discovered defects in a 15 feet (5 m) section of track. Son of Beast closed soon afterward, undergoing three weeks of repairs. although heavy rains delayed the reopening by nearly six hours. The park ultimately had to make several design corrections during Son of Beast's inaugural year. In 2005, a federal court ruled that the Roller Coaster Company of Ohio's insurer, Admiral Insurance, had to pay Kings Island $20 million in damages in relation to the lawsuit. However, the ruling was overturned by an appeals court in 2008. The three original trains were designed by Premier Rides, each consisting of six cars for a total capacity of 36. Kings Island purchased two Gerstlauer designed trains from the demolished Hurricane: Category 5 coaster at the Myrtle Beach Pavilion to serve as lighter replacements. The lighter trains were shorter, each consisting of five cars that held 24 riders, and were used to reduce the overall load on the wooden structure. To help the lighter trains complete the circuit, the loop was removed in January 2007 and recycled for scrap. The park claimed that the changes helped make the ride more comfortable, Despite the loss of the vertical loop, the coaster continued to hold the record as tallest and fastest wooden roller coaster in the world.

Another major incident occurred in May 2009 involving a non contact head injury, and Kings Island voluntarily closed the ride two weeks later upon hearing feedback from the injured rider. The coaster did not reopen for the 2009 season. Kings Island officials received three proposals to repair Son of Beast, one of which they rejected outright. References to Son of Beast were removed from the park's website and map in early 2010. All signage, including the box at the entrance, was also removed. At the time, the ride had accommodated an estimated 7 million guests throughout its history. On March 15, 2010, the General Manager of Kings Island, Greg Scheid, stated that the park had spent nearly $30 million on the ride to date and that it would not reopen for the 2010 season. However, at the start of the 2010 Halloween Haunt season, Son of Beast's station was opened for a haunted house called Wolf Pack. The station is still standing and was used yearly to host Wolf Pack during the Halloween Haunt season until 2019. Another Kings Island spokesperson, Don Helbig, announced in 2011 that the ride would again be closed for the 2011 season and that the ride's future had not yet been decided. "No decision has been made concerning the ride's future," spokesman Don Helbig said. "It would be inappropriate to speculate on when a decision might be made. There's nothing else to talk about." Kings Island announced on April 24, 2012, that there were no plans to operate Son of Beast in 2012, and they were still evaluating options. On July 27, 2012, following a thorough evaluation of the roller coaster, Kings Island announced that Son of Beast would be removed from the park to make room for future expansion. Demolition began in mid September 2012. During the demolition of Son of Beast, Kings Island sold plaques with a piece of the ride's track for $99.99. Park officials offered pieces of the wood structure for $49.99 and structural bolts for $24.99. On November 20, one of the last remaining parts of the structure, the lift hill, was demolished. A new roller coaster called Banshee was completed in April 2014 in the same location as Son of Beast. A tombstone with a plaque honoring Son of Beast was placed in the mockup graveyard near the entrance of the new roller coaster. In 2018, Kings Island released posters that referenced Son of Beast's station, Outpost 5, leading some to speculate that a possible revival might be announced by the park. However, these rumors were unsubstantiated, and no such announcement was made.

After loading the train, riders left the station making a 51 feet (16 m) left hand drop into a series of short hops before turning into the 218 feet (66 m) lift hill. At the crest of the lift hill, the track made a left hand turn over to the first drop, where it dropped 214 feet (65 m) to the ground followed by a 70 degree banked turn to the right. Riders then descended 164 feet (50 m) down a second drop into a left hand double helix. Coming out of the helix, the train passed through a mid course brake run dropping into a straight section of track (where the vertical loop was prior to 2006), before entering another helix, riding a series of short hills, and ending at the final brake run. One cycle of the ride lasted about 2 minutes and 20 seconds. while the track piles were made of Douglas fir. and the ride itself covered .

From 2000 to 2009, the Ohio Department of Agriculture (ODA) recorded six incidents in which people were injured after riding Son of Beast. A third rider suffered fractured vertebrae after riding Son of Beast in 2003, but ODA officials were unable to determine whether the rider had a preexisting medical condition because she refused to be interviewed. None of the injuries were life threatening. After an inspection the following day, the park stated that the accident was caused by a crack or split in the wood. The ride was shut down for an extended period of time, while the park worked with the State of Ohio to complete a full investigation. The park completed repairs of the ride but the state asked for extensive testing to be done to ensure it would not happen again. The park indicated that the ride would not reopen until the 2007 season. After the 2006 incident, the trains were replaced with lighter models before the ride reopened the following season. The loop was also removed during this time. In the fifth lawsuit, a judge ruled that Kings Island had to pay over $76,000 in compensatory damages. Forensic investigator Rick Schmizze testified that Kings Island had known since 2000 that the ride had major issues with swaying, but that park officials had not done enough to fix the problem. An investigation followed, and no irregularities were found with the ride. A summary of that investigation was released later, on July 29. Despite the vindicating findings, the roller coaster never reopened.