A crop-duster aircraft crashed into the primary broadcast tower for an AM radio station in Klamath Falls, Ore., last week.
Basin Mediactive’s KLAD(AM) 960 is licensed to Klamath Falls and transmits from one tower in a four-tower array along the Lost River, about five miles southeast of Altamont. It runs 5 kW during the day and 26 watts at night from the site.
The station runs a sports-talk format and is also heard on a 104.3 FM translator.
Four towers stand at the site, though the station only uses one to broadcast both day and night. According to Basin Mediactive General Manager Rob Siems, the plane struck KLAD’s primary daytime structure, designated as Tower #3 in the array.
The station is in the process of coming back on the air using one other towers at the site, Siems told us.
According to Basin Mediactive’s mybasin.com, Klamath County Sheriff’s Office deputies and fire personnel were dispatched to the area of Hill Road and Crystal Springs Road following the report of an aircraft crash.
A single-engine, fixed-wing crop-duster aircraft, piloted by Gus Macy, was conducting an agricultural pesticide application flight when the aircraft struck the Basin Mediactive tower, mybasin.com reported.
The aircraft subsequently crashed to the ground and caught fire. A nearby witness pulled Macy away from the wreckage before emergency responders arrived. Macy sustained major injuries and was transported to Sky Lakes Medical Center for treatment.
The circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation, mybasin.com reported.
The four-tower site has stood since 1981. KLAD itself was first licensed on 900 AM in 1955, according to its FCC history card.
The Klamath Falls-based Basin Mediactive also owns KAGO(AM/FM), KFXX(FM), KHIC(FM) and KLAD(FM).
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