Wind gusts of 59 mph blew down stage rigging which
should have been able to withstand gusts of up to 68 mph, killing seven and
injuring scores of others last summer at a state fair concert, according to
reports delivered April 12 to a 90 minute meeting of the Indiana State Fair
Commission. According to the report from engineering firm Thornton Tomasetti,
which investigated the calamity for the Commission, the stage rigging’s support
system began to collapse at gusts of 33 mph, and by the time wind speeds
reached 43 mph the structure could no longer stand.
Thornton Tomasetti Vice President Scott Nacheman said
testing showed gusts of only 25 mph could have collapsed the structure as
built. The engineering report described the stage support system as “grossly
inadequate.”
