Carowinds addresses Fury 325 coaster crack, details reopening plan
Carowinds issued a statement following the unplanned closure of Fury 325 due to a crack in one of the coaster’s support columns. The statement provides a broad roadmap for the ride’s reopening.
Safety Issue on Carowinds’ Signature Coaster
On June 30, 2023, a guest noticed a significant crack in one of Fury 325’s support columns. As the coaster train reached the column, the track swayed.
Carowinds closed Fury 325 later that day, and hasn’t reopened the ride since. No one was injured prior to the closure, and the rest of the park remains open.
On the day of the closure, Carowinds told Charlotte station WCNC, “The park’s maintenance team is conducting a thorough inspection and the ride will remain closed until repairs have been completed.” The park noted that personnel inspect every ride daily.
Carowinds’ Statement on Fury 325
Today, July 6, 2023, Carowinds released a statement of nearly 400 words addressing the coaster’s structural failure.
In the statement, Carowinds said a new support column will be built by Bolliger & Mabillard Consulting Engineers Inc. (otherwise known as B&M), the original manufacturer of Fury 325.
Once the new column is installed, Carowinds and B&M will conduct thorough safety tests, including “an accelerometer test that uses sensors to measure any variation in the ride experience.” Then Fury 325 will undergo 500 complete cycles with no guests, the industry standard for new roller coasters. Other tests will be ongoing during and after this cycle period.
Following the installation and inspections, Carowinds will “work with the North Carolina Department of Labor’s Elevator and Amusement Device Bureau to prepare Fury 325 for reopening.” Charlotte station WBTV pointed out that North and South Carolina have different laws regarding attraction inspections. Carowinds sits on land belonging to both states, with Fury 325 on the North Carolina side.
Safety Protocols Reevaluated Going Forward
Going forward, Carowinds will implement new, permanent safety measures for Fury 325. These will include “regular use of drones outfitted with cameras to access and inspect hard-to-reach areas.”
The statement notes that Carowinds and B&M “have performed a battery of tests to identify the cause of the fracture, which appears to have formed along a weld line in the steel column.” The park did not detail any other specifics about the cause itself.
The statement goes on to say, “It’s important to understand that 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.”
No reopening date for Fury 325 has been announced at this time.
Progression of the Fury 325 Crack
In replies to Charlotte weatherman Brad Panovich on Twitter, other guests claimed they noticed the crack forming in photos and videos they had captured earlier last week. They said the column was merely in the background of their footage and not the focus of their capture, but zooming in yielded a progression of the crack from as early as June 24, six days before the closure.
Fury 325, which opened in 2015, is Carowinds’ signature coaster. Its name derives from the ride’s highest peak, 325 feet, and its duration, three minutes and 25 seconds. Riders descend an 81-degree drop before zipping around the park’s entrance plaza at speeds of up to 95 mph.
Bolliger & Mabillard’s Other Coasters
B&M has an expansive portfolio of roller coasters spanning decades of manufacturing for parks internationally, including a number of SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Universal, Six Flags, and Cedar Fair parks.
According to the Roller Coaster Database, B&M’s other coasters at Carowinds are Intimidator, Afterburn (formerly Top Gun: The Jet Coaster), and Vortex.
B&M fabricated Pipeline: The Surf Coaster, which opened in May at SeaWorld Orlando.
Carowinds Remains Open
Despite the temporary closure of Fury 325, Carowinds and its neighboring water park, Carolina Harbor, remain open. Elsewhere in the park, this year Carowinds opened five new rides (all non-coasters) and debuted a nighttime show with fireworks and drones for its 50th anniversary.
