Crossville man dies after falling 80 feet while working on antenna

How sad. My heart goes out to his wife and thieir beautiful children.

Erika DD

 

Tragic :-(

 

this was copied straight from WBIR web site. click on the link that was posted.I only added the last line.

 

To most of the undereducated media the tower is the antenna as their reference is usually the local BC station tower which is the antenna.

It also appears that the tower, etc was all new 25G and not some Hammy Hambone setup as one suggested.

Now the law suits commence.

Carl

 

i went to church with a guy that actually lived through a fall similar to this. What saved his life is that he hit a guy wire on the way down, the negative was that it took his arm off.

 

I climbed many 900 foot towers and always had that thought in the back of my head...What if something ever happened and I was up this high. So sad to hear this man lost his life...When ever erecting a tower to double check, triple check, or even quadruple check!. Don't cut corners with inferior parts and I always say don't worry about the over-kill. If you use guy wires that are bigger then you need, don't worry. Take your time don't be in a hurry, the airwaves will always be there.

 

If the guy wire failed under tension, it would have likely flung the shackle 100 yards or more.

 

A shackle is held in position on both ends, correct? This is described as a shackle failure, not a cable failure. So it would not have been flung as the shackle only. As I see it, something is still attached.

But in any case, there is going to be a lawsuit. Perhaps the initial accident investigators did not have a compelling reason to track down the failure point. But the investigators hired by the Lawyer will. If it is still there, it will be located. If they can't find it, something suspicious is going on.

 

Sorry to hear about this.

I have often wondered if it may be better to not be strapped to the tower.

A shackle made in China may not be all that great.

 

I live about 2.5 miles from the house. Most of us in the repeater club didn't know the property owner. I've driven by the house on several occasions but never paid any attention as the towers aren't really visible from the street as they are on back side of the house. IMHO, it's not appropriate to inquire right now as to what actually happened but in time we'll probably find out most of the details.

 

Below is a pic of a "shackle", aka clevis fastener. Note the cotter key inserted through the clevis pin. If it "failed" or separated, it could have been flung.



That photo link is from DX Engineering and is allegedly a genuine Rohn shackle. But there are many manufacturers of such components, and they are all not the same, not by a long shot.

The news report stated the tower and the ground anchors were "new". However, that does not necessarily mean all the miscellaneous hardware, or as another post stated, the "etc", was also "new". Hammy Hambone-itis is very contagious.

For a guyed tower miscellaneous hardware means guy wire, clamps, turnbuckles, thimbles, etc, and shackles; ie, LOTSA SMALL STUFF, including their clevis pins and depending on the type, the cotter key, nut, and/or safety wire.

This miscellaneous hardware DOES NOT COME WITH NEW TOWER unless bought in an overall package. It can add up to a significant part of the overall expense, ESPECIALLY if careful attention is paid to the GRADE and CONDITION of hardware procured. And there are many alternative choices that can be incorrectly made. And this "small stuff" is often neglected and forgotten about until the installation is begun, and then there is time pressure to procure them.

I recently stopped at a local Ace Hardware. While my YL got paint samples, I ambled over to the rigging hardware display. I found no less than THREE grades of the same 3/8" clevis fastener shackle. All were labeled with their traceable "WLL", ie, working load limit. The Ace range spanned from 2000 lbs to > 6500 lbs, and the prices from 5-15ea USD. The Rohn from DX Engineering is listed at 13.2K lbs breaking force for $12 ea, plus shipping cost and ... time.

At 12-15 bucks a shot for the top shelf piece, a dozen can run up quite a tab. It can be really tempting to buy those quick convenient helpful hardware guy much cheaper 5 buck ones. It's just a little piece of metal riiiiiiiight? Unfortunately, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link

So, a primary question for any investigation - what are the vendor / specs of the remaining shackles that were used on the other guy lines.

Even if the properly spec'ed WLL for a tower application was obtained, the shackle must also be properly installed. That cotter key pin better be in good shape (not an old rusted retread from a Hamfest), be fully inserted and secure. And NO, in a pinch its terrible practice to just use any old bolt in place of a missing proper clevis pin; the metal is NOT the same, bolts are rated for tensile not sheer strength.

This tragic incident reminded some of my good buddies about a near-miss they experienced when a similar shackle on a come-a-long being used to temporarily hold a guy wire in place separated because of a loose or improperly positioned and verified clevis pin / cotter key. It came apart and was launched; but the tower held up. There but by the grace of God ...

 

Terrible - tragic to hear of the loss of life. Condolences to all involved

Good advice John.

Cotter ("split") pins are serious business - most often overlooked. Material and correct fit is critical, and you never re-use a used or damaged cotter pin. Deaths have occurred from inadequate substitutions or incorrect size. Never use brass for anything other than ornamental or 'light' loads.

Soft steel pins will also cold flow over time and, when heavily loaded, should periodically be inspected. 316 SS aircraft style would be preferred (but hard to bend) but 1010 or 1005 will work - as long as you could live with the absence of corrosion resistance.

73
Jim, WQ2H

 

Here is a direct link to the GoFundMe account...

https://www.gofundme.com/waddellfamily