"John Hall" wrote in message
news
In article ,
ucsdcpc writes:
Was an ice storm the cause of the collapse of the Emley Moor TV mast
in
1969? I just about remember it happening and it was winter.

IIRC, the cloud-base was low and there was a breeze, which caused rime
from the cloud to build up on one side of the mast. There wasn't
actually any rain.


.... this reference:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emley_Moor

suggests that 'unusual oscillation' of the wires steadying the tower was
the cause - no doubt the uneven build-up of ice from whatever cause was
a contributory factor. Several of these very tall transmitter masts
regularly experienced ice build-up without mishap, so it was probably a
combination of several factors which produced the failure.

Martin.

--
Martin Rowley
Bracknell