TC McQuade
NES Member
I am posting this here as a reminder to those on NES that are also Amateur Radio Enthusiasts as a safety warning. The 2 Ham Radio operators (1 Deceased / 1 Seriously Injured) mentioned below lived local and are a part of the Team that run the NH Near-Fest.
RIP Silent Key Joseph G. Areyzaga, K1JGA
To all Tower owners in the Amateur Radio Community – a must read!
Many old timers in the hobby that own a tower, perhaps in the air for 20, 30, 40 or 50 years, need to take this article seriously as it could provide life saving information to you and your ground crew. This is a cautionary article for all that have a tower no matter how long its been the air. What occurred at a NH amateur station recently provides a lesson for all of us tower owners. Although the article speaks to a Rohn 25 guyed tower product, it could be prove helpful to others.
K1JGA and K1EEE tower tragedy
A crew of amateurs gathered at the home of K1EEE to take down two 40 ft. Rohn 25 towers. The details of the tower which collapsed and its failure is provided below. It was a very unfortunate accident which took the life of Joe G. Areyzaga, K1JGA. The owner of the tower, K1EEE suffered multiple injuries but did survive. We all in the amateur radio community extend our prayers and condolences to the families affected by this tragic event.
Tower Description
One of two forty foot (40 ft.) Rohn 25 towers, with one set of guys at the 35 ft level was to be taken down. The base was the BPH 25 hinge plate on a concrete pad of unknown depth. This used tower had only been up 3 years.
NOTE: Following the accident, the owner learned one leg of the hinge plate had been previously repaired but the material used was not galvanized.
With the reasonable expectation the tower would support itself to 40 ft, the guy wires were disconnected from the anchors and the top section was to be removed. The top section to be removed had a rotor shelf and one torque assembly mounted at the 35 ft. level along with the three guy wires. The gin pole had not been raised at that point. The antenna, mast and rotor were previously removed.
Lesson Learned
At the time of the initial install, the tower was self supported to 40 ft until the first set of guys were attached per Rohn specifications. That may have been the case then, but after many years of exposure to the elements, one can no longer expect the same!
Prior to the start of the tower take down, the tower was thoroughly inspected and found to be in acceptable condition. The base was dry and free of any water. No obvious problems were found.
The general reason for this tower collapse was corrosion at the junction of the hinged base short legs (one leg previously repaired and welded as noted above) and the bottom of the lowest Rohn 25 section occurred primarily from the outside and some inside as well and thus weakened the structure. The first point of failure was the repaired and non-galvanized short leg of the hinge plate. When the guys were removed from their anchor points (necessary to remove the top section), the tower was free standing with the two climbers at 35 ft. It's clear that the tower deflection from the vertical was extreme enough to make the overturning force at the base (the bending moment) great enough to cause base failure.
The proper installation of the hinge bracket (BPH 25) requires mounting it on a flat concrete surface, secured with bolts placed in the concrete, surrounded by a beveled edge for water run off. Normally, all of the hardware associated with the hinge plate are galvanized and able to withstand the wear and tear of Mother nature. However this base was slightly recessed where the plate sat and there were some gaps under the plate. This created the opportunity for water or ground contaminants to collect. It is presumed the previously repaired short stubby leg of the bracket began to corrode while sitting in water. Years of this kind of exposure slowly weakened the metal. Subsequent movement by climbers at the top of the unguyed tower led to breakage at the base.
NOTE: Rohn towers are very high quality and generally last many, many years with proper installation and maintenance. It is a very popular tower in the amateur radio community. And where tower sections join, they typically show little wear as water drainage occurs easily and there is a limited chance for collecting contaminants and held for long periods of time. Or where tower materials come in contact with the earth, the normal galvanizing process is more than adequate for a long lifetime. But what is noted here is areas that are in contact with the ground or areas such as the repaired leg of the bracket that can accumulate harmful materials and therefore become a danger over time. Clearly there are areas on a tower that are difficult to inspect however, the Rohn design usually lends itself to high levels of confidence that these blind areas are within acceptable standards if installed per the manufacturers specifications.
RIP Silent Key Joseph G. Areyzaga, K1JGA
To all Tower owners in the Amateur Radio Community – a must read!
Many old timers in the hobby that own a tower, perhaps in the air for 20, 30, 40 or 50 years, need to take this article seriously as it could provide life saving information to you and your ground crew. This is a cautionary article for all that have a tower no matter how long its been the air. What occurred at a NH amateur station recently provides a lesson for all of us tower owners. Although the article speaks to a Rohn 25 guyed tower product, it could be prove helpful to others.
K1JGA and K1EEE tower tragedy
A crew of amateurs gathered at the home of K1EEE to take down two 40 ft. Rohn 25 towers. The details of the tower which collapsed and its failure is provided below. It was a very unfortunate accident which took the life of Joe G. Areyzaga, K1JGA. The owner of the tower, K1EEE suffered multiple injuries but did survive. We all in the amateur radio community extend our prayers and condolences to the families affected by this tragic event.
Tower Description
One of two forty foot (40 ft.) Rohn 25 towers, with one set of guys at the 35 ft level was to be taken down. The base was the BPH 25 hinge plate on a concrete pad of unknown depth. This used tower had only been up 3 years.
NOTE: Following the accident, the owner learned one leg of the hinge plate had been previously repaired but the material used was not galvanized.
With the reasonable expectation the tower would support itself to 40 ft, the guy wires were disconnected from the anchors and the top section was to be removed. The top section to be removed had a rotor shelf and one torque assembly mounted at the 35 ft. level along with the three guy wires. The gin pole had not been raised at that point. The antenna, mast and rotor were previously removed.
Lesson Learned
At the time of the initial install, the tower was self supported to 40 ft until the first set of guys were attached per Rohn specifications. That may have been the case then, but after many years of exposure to the elements, one can no longer expect the same!
Prior to the start of the tower take down, the tower was thoroughly inspected and found to be in acceptable condition. The base was dry and free of any water. No obvious problems were found.
The general reason for this tower collapse was corrosion at the junction of the hinged base short legs (one leg previously repaired and welded as noted above) and the bottom of the lowest Rohn 25 section occurred primarily from the outside and some inside as well and thus weakened the structure. The first point of failure was the repaired and non-galvanized short leg of the hinge plate. When the guys were removed from their anchor points (necessary to remove the top section), the tower was free standing with the two climbers at 35 ft. It's clear that the tower deflection from the vertical was extreme enough to make the overturning force at the base (the bending moment) great enough to cause base failure.
The proper installation of the hinge bracket (BPH 25) requires mounting it on a flat concrete surface, secured with bolts placed in the concrete, surrounded by a beveled edge for water run off. Normally, all of the hardware associated with the hinge plate are galvanized and able to withstand the wear and tear of Mother nature. However this base was slightly recessed where the plate sat and there were some gaps under the plate. This created the opportunity for water or ground contaminants to collect. It is presumed the previously repaired short stubby leg of the bracket began to corrode while sitting in water. Years of this kind of exposure slowly weakened the metal. Subsequent movement by climbers at the top of the unguyed tower led to breakage at the base.
NOTE: Rohn towers are very high quality and generally last many, many years with proper installation and maintenance. It is a very popular tower in the amateur radio community. And where tower sections join, they typically show little wear as water drainage occurs easily and there is a limited chance for collecting contaminants and held for long periods of time. Or where tower materials come in contact with the earth, the normal galvanizing process is more than adequate for a long lifetime. But what is noted here is areas that are in contact with the ground or areas such as the repaired leg of the bracket that can accumulate harmful materials and therefore become a danger over time. Clearly there are areas on a tower that are difficult to inspect however, the Rohn design usually lends itself to high levels of confidence that these blind areas are within acceptable standards if installed per the manufacturers specifications.
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