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Aurora Tower Stabilized After Chopper Crash

Sunday, Oct 19, 2008 | Updated 8:30 AM CST

(AURORA) The voluntary evacuations in Aurora following the crash of an Air Angels helicopter late Wednesday have been lifted Saturday now that repairs are completed on an unstable radio tower.

At 8 a.m. Saturday, repair crews continued work on the tower, which was struck by an Air Angels helicopter that crashed at the northeast corner of North Eola Road and Libery Street just before midnight. Repair crews removed sections of the damaged 734 foot tower and a helicopter was utilized to guide section of the structure to the ground after they were cut, prompting the recommended evacuations of near by homes, according to a release from the Aurora Police Department.

Those evacuations have been lifted and no further evacuations are expected. The radio tower has been deemed stable by engineers, the release said.

In all, 419 feet of the tower were disassembled and taken down.

Four people, including 14-month-old Kirstin Blockinger of Leland were killed in the helicopter crash. Three members of the Air Angels flight crew were also killed: William J. Mann, 31, of Chicago; Delbert Waugh, 69, of Carmel, Ind.; and Ronald Battiato, 41, of Peotone.

The subdivisions affected by the evacuations included the Amli at Oakhurst North apartments at Eola Road and Liberty Street, and houses just north of the tower at Riverstone Drive and Rhinestone Court, the release said.

Engineers Thursday night determined there were structural problems with the tower because of the crash and police recommended those living within 1,000 feet of the tower evacuate their homes.

Meanwhile, the owners of the antenna said Friday that warning lights -- a focus of the National Transportation Safety Board investigation -- were operating correctly Wednesday evening before the crash.

"We know the strobe lighting system on the tower was observed to be operating the night of the accident by the station general manager, Steve Marten, around 7 p.m.," Rick Jakle, president of WBIG-AM, said in a statement.

Jakle said the accident caused "substantial damage," about 50 feet below the top of the tower.