The ride experienced its first major incident on July 9, 2006, during which a train passed over a structural track failure that severely jolted riders. Son of Beast closed for the remainder of the 2006 season while repairs were made, and Kings Island decided to replace the original trains with lighter models.
After more than six months of re-tracking work, The Beast roller coaster is scheduled to re-open to Kings Island guests on Sunday. The Kings Island world-famous roller coaster, The Beast, will break its own record in 2022.
On July 27, 2012 Kings Island announced that the ride would be demolished to make way for future developments. Demolition of the coaster began in September. During the removal of Son of Beast, Kings Island sold plaques with a piece of the ride's track for $99.99.
The pay-per-ride attraction Sling Shot, opened the following season, and now sits on part of the land that the coaster once operated on. Several years later in 2014, the inverted coaster Banshee, would later be constructed, with more of King Cobra's former operating space being used.
Despite a successful launch and reception, the suspended coaster was plagued with mechanical problems and frequent closures over the course of its short lifespan. After a sporadic three seasons, the ride was permanently closed in 1983 and removed from the park.
Both were surpassed the following year with the debut of Shockwave at Six Flags Great America. On September 27, 2019, the park announced plans to close Vortex permanently on October 27, 2019. Area Manager Don Helbig stated that the coaster had reached the end of its service life.