RALEIGH, North Carolina Coaster – According to an ongoing inquiry by North Carolina’s Department of Labor, a massive break in the support column of a towering roller coaster was evident for at least a week before the amusement park shut it down for repairs.
“It looks like maybe six to ten days prior, some pictures were taken that show the beginning of the crack, and then obviously last Friday, the thing was completely severed,” Labour Commissioner Josh Dobson told The Associated Press on Friday.
The Charlotte-based Carowinds amusement park was investigated this week after a video of an operable roller coaster with a huge break in one of its columns leaked online. Fury 325, described as a “giga coaster” due to its stunning height of 325 feet (99 meters), was filmed with a critical support beam buckling and the top visibly removed as cars packed with unsuspecting riders barreled by at speeds of up to 95 mph (150 kph).
Carowinds, located on the border of North Carolina and South Carolina, has announced intentions to fix the ride and establish extra inspection processes. On Friday, a park representative did not respond immediately to an email seeking comment on the commissioner’s views.
The park’s maintenance team and the ride manufacturer, Switzerland-based Bolliger & Mabillard, discovered a crack along a weld line in one of the steel support columns this week. It intends to dismantle and replace the column and anticipates that a new one, designed by the same manufacturer, will be delivered to the park next week.
Fury 325 was closed by park personnel late last week after a tourist pointed up the large crack. The North Carolina Department of Labour sent investigators to the park on Monday and Wednesday while the resort’s other attractions remained operational. The department has yet to announce its investigation’s results.
A massive break in the support column of a towering roller coaster was evident for at least a week before the amusement park shut it down for repairs.
Republican Dobson stated that he is “very pleased” with Carowinds’ efforts to repair the crack and enhance its routine inspection process. However, his department is investigating how the break formed and why the ride remained open.
The Amusement Device Bureau of the Department of Labour completed its yearly inspection of Fury 325 in February and identified only a few signage violations, which Dobson said the park swiftly remedied.
Carowinds intends to conduct accelerometer testing after installing the new support column, which employs sensors to assess the shaking of a structure. According to the park, the ride will be operated for 500 full cycles while various tests are performed on the entire coaster. The manufacturer and a third-party testing firm will perform a final inspection.
“While we regularly inspect the coaster, we are planning to implement additional inspection procedures to ensure that we are making every effort to promptly identify and address future potential issues,” the park said in a statement. According to the company, the new procedures will include the regular usage of drones outfitted with cameras to investigate hard-to-reach areas.
The ride’s reopening date has yet to be determined.
“We’re going to take as long as it takes,” Dobson declared. “And we will not issue that new certificate of operation until we are completely confident in doing so.”
Roller Coaster Video Reveals Huge Crack in Steel Pillar
SOURCE – (AP)
