[TowerTalk] TowerTalk Digest, Vol 122, Issue 26

[Kathy Bookmiller]

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Frank must have miscalculated as when my W-51 failed in a heavy wind, it bent over in the middle section at the point where the over lap ended with the top section. This drove the elements of my 204BA into and through the flat roof of my neighbors house 2nd story addition. The neighbor never said a word about it, like that is just something that happens everyday:) The tower was otherwise unharmed and just needed a new middle section to be used again. I've seen a couple of other W51 failures and they were at the same place mine occurred. 
Kathy, W2NK

<Anecdote follows:

Frank Clement, W6KPC (SK), who owned Tri-Ex for many years, told me 
in personal conversation that their crankups were designed so that if 
a catastrophic failure were to occur with the tower extended, it 
would be in the top section and not the bottom (biggest) 
section.  His logic, paraphrasing here, was that "you can deal with a 
bent, or folded, top section (bring in a crane, cut things loose and 
take it down safely), BUT if you had a failure in the bottom section, 
you likely would have a REAL disaster on your hands (destroyed your 
roof, or your neighbor's roof-- or car-- or worse, personal injury)."

I always thought Frank was a smart guy.>