Los Angeles radio tower crash kills 2

Perhaps now that it has bee knocked down, the FAA and FCC will get
together
and find a more suitable location for a new tower. (wishful thinking)


The TV news report I saw last night had a spokesman for KFI stating
that the tower would be reconstructed on the exact same site with the
same guy wire locations.

Perhaps painting it day-glow orange and installing xenon strobes all
over it might help make it a little more conspicuous.


Sounds like the help of AOPA would be in order. A petition drive, also,
with members doing a quick safety explanation to non pilots, also. Stand in
front of grocery stores, go door to door around the airport, ect.
--
Jim in NC

In article ,
Larry Dighera wrote:

The KFI radio tower is a little over a mile NW of Fullerton Airport.
There is often haze in the vicinity, and viewed against the ground,
the tower can be less than conspicuous. If I recall correctly, it is
not freestanding, but guyed. I make a specific effort to locate the
tower whenever I'm operating in the vicinity, because I am aware of
its insidious nature. Because the tower is 760' AGL, aircraft at the
standard traffic pattern level of 800' are vulnerable. One just
doesn't expect such a tall tower in such close proximity to an active
airport.

Towers can be very hard to spot in the haze. There is a 1500ft
tower on the top of a 2500ft ridge between Watsonville (WVI) and
South County (E16 (formerly Q99)). On a clear day, it isn't easy
to see. With fog/haze, it becomes invisible.

I took these shots on a somewhat hazy day:

http://www.panix.com/~jac/spot-the-tower/

There are strobes on it, but the tower itself is a flat grey, which
is very good at blending into the haze/fog.

John
--
John Clear - http://www.panix.com/~jac

"John Clear" wrote in message
...
Towers can be very hard to spot in the haze. There is a 1500ft
tower on the top of a 2500ft ridge between Watsonville (WVI) and
South County (E16 (formerly Q99)). On a clear day, it isn't easy
to see. With fog/haze, it becomes invisible.

I took these shots on a somewhat hazy day:

http://www.panix.com/~jac/spot-the-tower/

There are strobes on it, but the tower itself is a flat grey, which
is very good at blending into the haze/fog.

http://www.airnav.com/airport/S27 Check the two towers on the approach to
31. Only 500 feet off the centerline and just over a mile from the
threshold. At least Kalispell is not subject to obscuration.


--
Matt
---------------------
Matthew W. Barrow
Site-Fill Homes, LLC.
Montrose, CO

On 20 Dec 2004 18:08:30 -0800, (John Clear) wrote in
::

Towers can be very hard to spot in the haze. There is a 1500ft
tower on the top of a 2500ft ridge between Watsonville (WVI) and
South County (E16 (formerly Q99)). On a clear day, it isn't easy
to see. With fog/haze, it becomes invisible.

I took these shots on a somewhat hazy day:

http://www.panix.com/~jac/spot-the-tower/

There are strobes on it, but the tower itself is a flat grey, which
is very good at blending into the haze/fog.

That tower is difficult to discern.

Because the KFI tower is so close to the airport it appears larger,
but your photo illustrates the problem well.

"John Clear" wrote in message
...

Towers can be very hard to spot in the haze. There is a 1500ft
tower on the top of a 2500ft ridge between Watsonville (WVI) and
South County (E16 (formerly Q99)). On a clear day, it isn't easy
to see. With fog/haze, it becomes invisible.

I took these shots on a somewhat hazy day:

http://www.panix.com/~jac/spot-the-tower/

There are strobes on it, but the tower itself is a flat grey, which
is very good at blending into the haze/fog.

I have seen that tower a few times. It is one of the scariest towers in the
country.

Larry Dighera wrote:

standard traffic pattern level of 800' are vulnerable. One just
doesn't expect such a tall tower in such close proximity to an active
airport.

Isn't the tower depicted in the chart? Whatever happened to airmanship?

Stefan

"Stefan" wrote in message
...
Larry Dighera wrote:

standard traffic pattern level of 800' are vulnerable. One just
doesn't expect such a tall tower in such close proximity to an active
airport.

Isn't the tower depicted in the chart? Whatever happened to airmanship?

Stefan

A tower, not where one normally would see a tower, is one more item added to
the possible "accident chain of events". Want to break the chain? Don't
have the tower there, or light the h^ll out of it!
--
Jim in NC

"Morgans" wrote in message
...

A tower, not where one normally would see a tower, is one more item added
to
the possible "accident chain of events". Want to break the chain? Don't
have the tower there, or light the h^ll out of it!


The tower is charted and properly lighted. One can break the chain by
practicing good airmanship.

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote


The tower is charted and properly lighted. One can break the chain by
practicing good airmanship.


Whatever, Mr. Inflexable. Many local pilots begged for more/better
lighting. Could it be that it needed it? Could be that some do not
practice good airmanship? It also could be that someone gets involved with
looking for traffic, or dealing with a mechanical problem on-board, or.. a
million other things, and they lost situational awareness. Point is, one
thing to break the chain (like more lighting, or the tower not being in such
close proximity) could have broken the accident chain.

Fact is, one such couple needed something else to break the chain. They are
dead now.

It would seem to me that anyone (including you) could see that.
--
Jim in NC

"Steven P. McNicoll" wrote:


"Morgans" wrote in message
...

A tower, not where one normally would see a tower, is one more item added
to
the possible "accident chain of events". Want to break the chain? Don't
have the tower there, or light the h^ll out of it!


The tower is charted and properly lighted. One can break the chain by
practicing good airmanship.

I think you miss the point of the "accident chain." The point is that
mini chains form all the time, and you need to work on ALL the
potential links to avoid accidents, rather than picking one and saying
this is the one that I'm going to rely on to avoid accidents.