WATKINS GLEN -- Federal authorities are investigating the cause behind a radio tower collapse that resulted in the death of a Clyde man on Monday. Reports say Dirk Remington, 46, was one member of a four-man crew performing maintenance at the WRCE transmitter tower.
According to the Odessa File this afternoon, Remington had climbed 53 feet up the 400-foot tower when the structure collapsed. The report says that's about the point where the lowest guy wires were attached and Remington was strapped to the tower before it toppled.
A report in the Ithaca Journal says Remington was "securing the structure at the time."
The tower is located off Schuyler County Route 16 in the Town of Dix (Google Map). WRCE, known as "The Race 1490," was formerly known as WGMF, and is owned by Backyard Broadcasting. The station does not have its own website.
Investigators from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Schuyler County Sheriff's Department have been on the scene since about 8:00 this morning, reportedly trying to recreate the accident in order to determine what caused the collapse.
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