[BC] Reason for WSKY Tower Collapse

[Mike McCarthy]

This is the poster child for why soil borings should be compulsory before a 
PE stamp is affixed  to the design.  Simple soil borings would have 
identified the soil needed special treatment....ie bigger deadends.

It's classic low costing the project to save some money.

We found soil borings done on the property we just finished adding a tower 
before we ordered the tower. 10 ft. below grade the soil is less than 2000 
lbs.  Had we not noted this, our tower would have sunk and the anchors 
pulled out when things got wet.  Instead, we installed caissons and the 
tower is stable.

Never assume anything when it comes to stacking new steel.

MM

At 02:17 PM 3/6/2007 -0500, r j carpenter wrote
>This story from the main Norfolk newspaper claims to have the reason for 
>the WSKY-TV tower collapse. The tower was only 3/4 of final height when an 
>anchor pulled....they say.... Oops.  This must be very mushy earth on the 
>edge of the Dismal Swamp.
>bob c.
>================================================
>Unfinished TV tower in N.C. toppled in high wind
>
>By JEFFREY S. HAMPTON , The Virginian-Pilot
>? March 6, 2007 | Last updated 9:48 PM Mar. 5
>
>CAMDEN COUNTY -- A television tower under construction in Camden County 
>toppled during Friday's strong winds because concrete anchors were not 
>large enough, according to the station's president.
>
>"Things that were supposed to stay in place didn't," said Glenn 
>Holterhaus, president of Sky Television, parent company of WSKY-TV Channel 4.
>
>Standing 760 feet tall, the unfinished tower toppled and crushed a new 
>transmitter building Friday morning after winds suddenly gusted to about 
>40 mph. Concrete anchors in the ground intended to stabilize the tower 
>were not large enough and gave way, he said.
>
>The two-year long project was three weeks from completion. Located about 
>one mile south of the Virginia line, the tower was to reach up to 1,036 
>feet and replace an analog signal tower in Powells Point with a stronger 
>digital signal, Holterhaus said.
>
>Based in Chesapeake, WSKY broadcasts to South Hampton Roads and 
>northeastern North Carolina.
>
>_______________________________________________
>
>The BROADCAST [BC] list is sponsored by SystemsStore On-Line Sales
>Cable-Connectors-Blocks-Racks-Wire Management-Test Gear-Tools and More! 
>www.SystemsStore.com       Tel: 407-656-3719    Sales at SystemsStore.com
>