This is another story of tower setting. The first story was part of profile on Bo Lindell that was posted to our Powerlineman Profile series in December.
Another tower came down as we were trying to set it. This tower was slightly different. It was still a guyed tower, but we weren’t in the middle of the set, and it wasn’t caused by a known issue.
This tower was about 15 ft away from the pin as it just came in. The crew got hands on it to try to muscle it over to the pin as the Heli brought it closer. It started to come up a bit maybe seven feet off the ground and was just floating 15 ft away.
I yelled to just get back and grab it when it was closer to the pin. The crew took their hands off and stepped back. Less than 10 seconds afterwards, the tower fell straight down to the ground. It sunk in about five feet.
I had yelled to look up and watch the tower. The crew looked up and watched to see which direction it would fall. As it did, we all moved back in opposite directions as it crashed.
It was a situation that we had discussed and planned for; in case it was ever to happen. Due to that, everyone remained calm and knew what to do.
There was an investigation into the cause, which found that a voltage overload to the relays for the hook that held on to the tower had caused them to let go.
This story shows the importance of knowing and following your emergency plan.
Bo Lindell - Lineman