The AM Forum

Hi:

Damaged WALB tower taken down by planned explosives due to previous damage. Good video coverage!

http://www.walb.com/Global/story.asp?S=5005001

73,
Dan W1DAN

Yeah Dan I saw this on one of the locals.

It's important to point out there was an intentional tower razing, AND an accidental tower disaster that took down a second,, active stick nearby as the first one came down.

Hate when that happens.

Paul:

Yes I guess I did not mention it was a planned take down, due to damage by a military chopper that damaged the tower. People died in that accident about a week ago.

Talked to a guy in the know...

They had a 60% chance of felling the other tower and knew it.

High engineering planning was involved.

73
Dan
W1DAN

With an engineering firm involved, I'm sure they knew what they were doing. It was a tough problem to solve.

Usually, guyed towers don't fall straight over like a tree, as they hoped. Once the guy wires are cut, the tower gets randomly shocked and the various sections fall unevenly with gravity and inertia, thus buckle instead. That's possibly part of the reason why a section came straight down and fell on the other good tower's guys. (Also the guys overlapped)

I seem to remember the rule is towers usually fall in a radius not exceeding 60% of their height. I was once part of a crew that dropped a 300' Rohn 45 which also buckled and fell in this 60% manner.

But, as you said, Dan, they said the guy wires of the other tower overlapped and caused a unique low probability of success situation.

T

Tall Sticks
I enjoyed the commercial you are forced to view.
The camera in the plane had a shakey operator.

Fred