CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Carowinds detailed on Thursday its plans for fixing the popular Fury 325 roller coaster’s damaged pillar, and how inspection procedures will change at the amusement park going forward.
The Fury 325 was shut down last Friday after a guest spotted and reported a crack in one of the ride’s steel support pillars. Carowinds said it runs daily inspections, but it is still unclear why it took a patron to call attention to the problem.
The park’s maintenance team, representatives from ride manufacturer Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers Inc. of Switzerland and inspectors from the state Labor Department’s Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau are investigating what caused the fracture in the pillar.
It’s also unclear when the fracture first appeared.
In a statement sent to The Charlotte Observer on Thursday, park officials gave an update on the damage and when it should be repaired.
The fracture appears to have formed along a weld line in the steel column, the park said. “We are planning to remove and replace the existing support column.”
The new support column, which is being made by B&M, should be delivered to the park next week, according to Carowinds.
Once the replacement part is installed, park officials said they plan to conduct extensive tests and inspections, including one conducted by the Fury 325 manufacturer and a third-party testing firm to make sure it exceeds all required specifications.
This will include an “accelerometer test” that uses sensors to measure any variation in the ride experience. Then, Carowinds said, it plans to operate the ride for 500 full cycles while performing more tests and inspections of the ride throughout that period.
Park officials did not specify how long the tests and inspections could take.
After all that has been completed, representatives from the state Labor Department will assist with reopening the ride. Until then, it will remain closed.
“B&M is regarded as one of the premier ride manufacturers in the world, with an impeccable reputation for quality and engineering,” Carowinds said in its statement. “Rides like Fury 325 are designed with redundancies in place to ensure the safety of guests in the event of an issue such as this.”
Carowinds is in the Charlotte area and straddles the border between the Carolinas.
Carowinds changes inspections of rides
Park officials also announced that they will be adding additional inspection procedures to make sure this type of incident doesn’t happen again.
Changes to procedure are “meant to ensure we are making every effort to promptly identify and address future potential issues,” the park said. Those measures will include the regular use of drones outfitted with cameras to access and inspect hard-to-reach areas.
According to park officials, Fury 325, is inspected every day, along with all rides and attractions, by park employees.
State inspections of Fury 325
The annual state inspection of Fury 325 was on Feb. 23 and found only minor issues related to signage, the N.C. Labor Department’s Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau told the Observer on Thursday. The Observer had requested copies of the inspection on Monday under the state open records laws.
“Those concerns were immediately corrected by Carowinds personnel before the conclusion of the inspection, and a certificate was issued,” Jill Cramer, a lawyer for N.C. Department of Labor, said in an email.
All amusement rides at permanent locations, such as Carowinds, are licensed and inspected on an annual basis prior to the park opening. The inspection records do not list the findings.
About the Fury 325 roller coaster
Fury 325, which opened in March 2015, features a 1.2-mile track reaching top speeds of 95 mph and a height of 325 feet. People ride in one of three 32-passenger open air trains that descend at an 81-degree angle.
it’s been named the best steel roller coaster in the world for six years in a row by industry publication Amusement Today.
Carowinds technicians inspect each ride daily, looking at the ride’s mechanical, structural and electronic components, according to Carowinds.
But on June 30, a video by park visitor Jeremy Wagner shows riders going over the fractured pillar. The next day, Tiffany Collins Newton of Shelby posted a photo she took June 24, noticing a smaller crack in the same pillar.
Inspections and repair of the cracked pillar started Monday.
On Monday, the Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau was at the park. The agency oversees amusement park inspections.
On Tuesday, Bolliger & Mabillard engineers arrived.
-------
