Busch Gardens in Tampa reopens Falcon’s Fury drop ride

Busch Gardens has reopened its intense drop ride Falcon’s Fury after a year of closures.

The 335-foot freestanding drop tower sends riders plunging 60 miles per hour straight down. Last March, after a 14-year-old died in a horrific fall when he slipped out of his seat on a similar attraction called the Orlando FreeFall, the Tampa theme park closed Falcon’s Fury for inspection “out of an abundance of caution.”

The ride briefly reopened and then remained shuttered for months. A theme park spokesman said supply chain issues were to blame for the long delay in parts needed for maintenance.

“With Falcon’s Fury there are limited suppliers, and they have been delayed,” Busch Gardens spokesperson Eddie Delgado said.

Falcon’s Fury, which opened in 2014, is made by a different manufacturer than the Orlando FreeFall. Falcon’s Fury holds the record as the nation’s tallest drop tower.

Tyre Sampson, an eighth grader who visited ICON Park in Orlando with his football team in March 2022, died after slipping out of his seat while on the FreeFall. A state investigation later concluded that Sampson fell because of changes made by the ride’s operator, according to the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. Restraints were adjusted to allow larger riders, outside of manufacturer-supplied limits in height and weight, the department found.

The ride operators have countered that story, requesting a hearing and saying that stories of weight restrictions and sensor manipulation are inaccurate. The department, which inspects amusement rides in the state, levied a $250,000 fine for the amusement park operator, Orlando Eagle Drop Slingshot LLC, which is removing the ride.