November 12, 1998

THE EVENT

I flew into Stewart airport on the afternoon of the Sept.23, 1998 & checked into the Econolodge on Rt. 9 in Kingston, NY. I paged Walter to arrange a rendezvous. We arranged to meet at my hotel around 11:00pm. Walt drove and we met Jeff at the gate at the bottom of Illinois mountain.

We drove up to the transmitter site, unloaded the test equipment & waited for midnight to sign off. Jeff called master control and told them we were doing maintenance and instructed them to run a sign off at midnight.

The TFT remote control was put in local mode. After the sign off was run, the high voltage was beamed off on all transmitters. I decided to leave the transmitters in "black heat" so they would come up easier at sign on.

The filament voltage was measured & lowered to approximately 3.8 volts. The focus supplies, blowers & cooling systems were left running. We started testing the passive system from the patch panel (normal operation). The system wasn't perfect but acceptable.

Walt then adjusted the aural notch filters & the -3.58 MHz notch filters. We inspected the 3 port switch between the antenna and the station load. Again, not perfect, but not the problem. We also removed the diplexer reject load for inspection, but again, all was acceptable.

We took a quick look into the bypass line & determined that the problem was someplace at that end. We should be able to make the necessary adjustments, but not tonight. Due to the length of time to reconfigure the system & test equipment I decided to put things back to normal & continue repairs the following night.

It was approaching 5:30 am and we had to be back on the air by 6:30am. It was time to start putting the transmission line back together, readjust the filament voltages & prepare to sign on. Walter was on top of the ladder working on replacing the diplexer reject load.

I walked over to the visual 2 transmitter (which is to the far right), opened the two center doors, checked the beam voltage meter to ensure the high voltage was still off (it was) & measured the filament voltage using the stations Fluke DVM (digital volt meter).

The voltage was measured at the heater terminals on the klystron. Using my right hand to hold the probes on the terminals and my left hand to hold the meter, the voltage was still at 3.8 volts where I had adjusted it earlier.

With both hands occupied, I asked Jeff to come over and help me adjust the filament voltage back to 8.5 volts. (this is a very common practice that I've done with Jeff on numerous occasions.)

As Jeff was approaching the cabinet to assist me, the DVM probes slipped off the terminals. I focused my attention on keeping the probes in place and turned the meter so that Jeff could view it while making the adjustments. Rather than holding the toggle switch in the raise position, Jeff depressed the Beam On button.

Pushing this button immediately applies Beam Voltage to the filament terminals of the klystron. (beam voltage on this system was approximately 25,500 volts DC @ 6 Amps, with a "much higher" current potential when a short is applied. I was the short!)

The voltage went threw the meter leads, melting them as it went, into the DVM, into my left hand, up my arm to my neck. It left my body via a gold chain that was around my neck, back to the cabinet.(ground) I saw a blinding flash, took a few steps backwards & laid down on the floor.

I couldn't feel my left arm & reached over to touch it with my right hand to make sure it was still attached, while at the same time screaming that I couldn't feel my arm! Where was it? Walter told me that it was still there. (he had come down the ladder) I was short of breath & Walt asked me if I could breath. I said NO!

He gave me a few rescue breaths until I motioned for him to stop & told him that I thought I was OK. I then yelled at Jeff to call 911 and drive down to the gate to meet the ambulance & let them in. I continued to lie on the floor for a few minutes and decided not to wait. The pain was getting unbearable & I was terrified of what was happening to my arm.

I asked Walt if he would drive me down the mountain & we would meet the ambulance on the way up. I supported my limp left arm by picking it up with my right hand (I had no control over it's movement). Walt helped me up and into his truck. We met a police car and ambulance about ¾ of the way down the Mt. While the police car was getting out of the way I was helped onto the stretcher and strapped in. (things started moving real fast at this point, so my memory is vague.)

I was asked a bunch of questions (name address, age…) I remember yelling at them to get moving, I was hurt & wanted to get to the hospital. They removed my shirt and pulled my gold chin out of my skin. It had apparently gotten hot and melted into me. I remember them pouring something cold on my neck and chest. I think they even started an IV. I don't remember anything of the ride to the hospital except for the pain in my arm when they hit bumps.

I vaguely remember getting into the first hospital, but do know the pain was getting worse (if that was possible!) I gave them my wife's & mother's name and number. I was told that the care I needed could not be done there, and that the Life Helicopter was on the way and would take me to the Medical Center Burn Unit.

At this point I didn't care about anything but the pain in my arm. I recall signing a release, being put on a different stretcher & loaded into the helicopter. I remember talking to one of the ladies in the helicopter, but not what we talked about. I can also remember landing & getting wheeled down some hallways at the Burn Unit. I was told that the walk would take a few minutes, but the surgeons were waiting for me in the operating room.

The DR's were asking me more questions in the operating room & I remember getting annoyed because they weren't doing anything. I signed a release & saw the mask going over my face. (lights out). I remember very little the of, the day after surgery. I slept most of the time. My mother, brother Phil & uncle Roy were there when I woke.

My wife arrived at some point later, from Myrtle Beach. All I remember telling her was "don't be mad, it wasn't my fault!" They had diagnosed my condition as "compartment syndrome" and performed a "fasciotomy" on my left upper extremity to relieve the pressure that was building up inside.

I had sever nerve & muscle damage to my left arm & hand. I had 2nd degree burns on my right shoulder & around my neck & chest where the chain I was wearing melted into my skin. I was told that recovery could take up to 1 1/2 years & that everything concerning recovery was questionable. They didn't know to what extent I would regain movement or feeling in my arm or hand, if at all.

I have learned since then from the DR who did the operation, that I had about 20 minutes to spare when I arrived. If I had been any later they would have amputated my arm! I may continue writing about the days spent in the hospital or the healing process when my head clears. The events leading up to and including the accident that I have written are true and accurate.

Steven M. Hastings