The upper gondola generated a higher speed (the length of ropeway was 863.3 metres or 2,832 feet); on reaching the lower support tower, it struck the broken hauling rope, which was hanging on the tower, causing the cable to tear the gondola apart.

A cut-open gondola was hanging above the rooftops as a result of the collision's extreme force, which caused the track cable to fall off the tower.

In 1988, two years prior to the accident, the cable car underwent major reconstruction under the lead of head engineer Vakhtang Lejava.

Accident investigation documentation does not identify the cause of the hauling rope breaking inside the coupler.

The planned restoration was abandoned due to local opposition and visual flaws of the new lower station on one of the main squares of the city in front of Radisson Hotel.

However, renovation works stalled because of the high density small housing which appeared in the backyard of the lower station.

According to Tbilisi mayor Kaladze residents living near the Rustaveli Avenue station refused to relocate caused the delay.

[5] Prior to his reelection as mayor in October 2021, Kaladze said the cable car line will be operational by the end of 2022, while reconstruction work allegedly started on both stations.