I posted this in the 'Anything Goes' section because, I'm writing a story that partially involves a malfunctioning elevator, and I didn't want to be misleading and post it in the 'Technical Questions' section; though it is a technical question, it's not any specific technical problem I'm working on.
I figured I'd ask the experts and folks in the field since I couldn't exactly find the specific info I was looking for without carefully perusing long, technical documents, and I figured I'd get a more digestible answer from real-life people, anyway. But enough of this palaver.
I'm basically wondering what would be the most likely, or most common, cause for an elevator operating otherwise normally, but skipping a specific floor, or floors. Is there a certain part or system or something? Like, if somebody told a mechanic it was happening, they could respond along the lines of "Well, it sounds like it's most likely *this information*, but I won't know until...".
And here's an add-on question, would the circuit breaker or main controls for the elevator system, be located in in a centralized, convenient spot? I know I've seen elevator control rooms, before (not inside them, but I've seen that they exist), but would a single switch/lever/knob/what have you, exist to turn off, and on, the entire elevator system?
If it helps narrow down the list of probable causes, the building was probably built in the 1960s, with the most recent elevator system installed probably in 80s, at the latest. Those dates aren't concrete or anything, but it's definitely no modern elevator.
Thanks for even checking out this post, any and all help is greatly appreciated!

Please keep in mind that the publics safety is my first concern. I want to help you understand more about our profession. Let me start by answering the simplest part first.
1) Yes, like a breaker panel in a home there is a method of turning off an elevator. Generally the cab interior lights are on a separate breaker.
2) Yes, there could be a malfunction that would cause the elevator to skip a floor or floors. This question would require more information. We would need to know who manufactured it, what year and which model it was to start.

Think of it like the auto industry. All the makes, model and years. There has been many changes over the years...

To add on to what JKH said, I can think of a few minor things that could make an elevator "skip" a floor. Without going into too much detail, the call could be broken, floor position system could be malfunctioning, or you simply did not pray to the elevator Gods correctly, and as such, they found you unworthy of giving a ride.

I appreciate you asking in a non specific way, and I hope our non specific answers help. We at times have issues diagnosing problems on equipment right in front of us, that we can touch and test... No real way we could do much more than guess, though some are Very Very educated guesses, here on a forum.

Elevator from the 60s or eighetys skipping floors sounds like it would most likely be a problem with the floor selector. http://elevation.wikia.com/wiki/Selector