In 2018, the last operating season of the park, four attractions remained closed throughout the season after an audit by regulators found that each did not comply with the Kansas Amusement Ride Act. Demolition of Verrückt began in November 2018. The park did not open for the 2019 season.

The Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City shut down permanently in September 2018 following the fallout from a tragic fatal accident on its record-breaking "Verrückt" water slide in 2016. The incident, which resulted in the death of a 10-year-old boy, led to a massive investigation that uncovered significant design flaws and safety negligence. In the aftermath, the park faced multiple lawsuits, a sharp decline in attendance, and criminal charges against several high-ranking executives. The "Verrückt" slide, which was once the tallest in the world, was immediately closed and later demolished. The financial and reputational damage to the brand made the Kansas City location's continued operation untenable. In 2019, the Schlitterbahn company sold its remaining highly successful Texas parks (New Braunfels and Galveston) to Cedar Fair, while the Kansas City site was eventually sold to a developer to be repurposed into an amateur sports complex. The site was completely demolished in 2021, marking the end of the park's controversial eight-year history.

Yes, you can absolutely become an airline pilot at the age of 50, but you must be aware of the "career runway" ahead of you. In the United States and many other countries, the mandatory retirement age for commercial airline pilots is 65. This means that if you begin your training at 50, you could potentially have a 10-to-12-year career at a major or regional airline once you complete your 1,500 hours of required flight time (a process that usually takes 2-3 years). Many airlines in 2026 are actively recruiting "second-career" pilots to combat the global pilot shortage, valuing the maturity and professional experience that older candidates bring to the cockpit. The primary challenge is the First-Class Medical Certificate, which becomes more rigorous after the age of 40 and requires an EKG every six months after age 60. While you may not reach the highest levels of "seniority" or "wide-body captain" status before you retire, many 50-year-old trainees find a fulfilling and lucrative second act in regional aviation, corporate jet piloting, or flight instruction where the age-65 rule does not always apply.