700-foot-high radio tower well known to local pilots
The WBIG-AM radio tower, which rises more than 700 feet above the Amli subdivision in Aurora, is a well-known landmark for pilots in the area, according to Bob Rieser, director of the Aurora Municipal Airport.
"If you're familiar with the area, you know it," Rieser said Friday.
That tower has become one of the focal points of an ongoing National Transportation Safety Board investigation into this week's fatal helicopter crash.
The Air Angels Bell-222 chopper, based out of Clow Airport in Bolingbrook, clipped one of the tower's guy wires before crashing in a field just east of Eola Road at Liberty Street.
Investigators are trying to determine whether the strobe lights on the tower were lit at the time of the accident, according to NTSB spokesman John Brannen. The general manager of WBIG, Steve Marten, has said the lights were operational at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
In the wake of the crash, some have wondered if the Air Angels helicopter was flying too low. The guy wire it clipped was about 50 feet below the top of the 712-foot tower, Jakle said.
But according to Federal Aviation Administration regulations, the altitude restrictions for helicopters are not as strict as those for airplanes. Planes must stay 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle within a 2,000-foot radius of the aircraft over congested areas. Over less congested areas, that drops to 500 feet.
Helicopters, however, "may be operated at less than the minimums" if they are flown without "hazard to persons or property on the surface."
"It's just the nature of the beast," said FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory. "They have a lot of latitude."
Rieser, a pilot himself, said the WBIG tower is one of the highest in the area, beaten only by one in Roselle. And it's something local pilots know to avoid.
"It catches my eye every time I'm up (in a plane)," he said. "You look for it; you know it's there."
COMPLETE COVERAGE OF AIR ANGELS CRASH
Photos: Kirstin laid to rest
Photos: Workers fix radio tower
Photos: Copter crash probe begins
Photos: Family's mourning begins
Photos: The victims
Photos: Crash scene
Twitter: Latest developments
Map: Crash site
Tears, rain fall as tiny crash victim buried
Flight nurse a hero: 'Gave his life for little baby'
Hero's selfless final act offers some solace'
Monday stories
NTSB gets surveillance video Leland girl killed in crash laid to rest
Sunday stories
Close-knit town asks to mourn in private
Work finishes on damaged radio tower
Saturday stories
Tower work complete, residents may return
In wind, rain, workers chop up radio tower
Radio tower well-known to local pilots
Friday stories
Radio tower dismantled after helicopter crash
Family of tiniest victim mourns flight crew
Helicopter crash probe could take months
Residents evacuating apartments near tower
Witnesses describe the fiery crash
Air Angels: 'We look at what's best for the patient'
FAA under pressure to improve safety for EMS flights
Crash turns focus on air transport safety
Helicopter crew remembered as heroes
Shock settles on emergency response crews
Thursday stories
Aurora helicopter crash kills Air Angels crew, child
Friends speak of Air Angels crew's dedication
Witness: Debris rained down from the sky
NTSB investigating cause of crash
Police ask residents near crash to evacuate
Last Air Angels crash in Fox Valley 5 years ago
