The Tragic Collapse of KTVO Tower [W4] [Flash Conference]

During a planned repair of the 2000-foot tall KTVO tower near Kirksville, Missouri, the tower catastrophically collapsed without warning. The collapse resulted in loss of life as well as a complete loss of the tower structure. The story begins when the steel tower was being repaired due to potentially defective bracing. In an effort to expedite the repair process, the construction crew performing the repair altered the engineering guidelines for temporary internal bracing while repairing the defective bracing. The unique tower geometry and placement of guy-wiring, as well as material inconsistencies of the tower components, contributed to the necessity and sequence of the repair operation. Furthermore, resulting local instabilities which ultimately led to a global twist and subsequent collapse of the system are also discussed.

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