Crane tips over while removing counterweight - GIF

[hemmjo]

He could see things were going to go very bad very quickly.

The weight had not been lifted clear when he started to boom down. When the weight finally came off the stack, it swung away from the crane. The inertia pull the crane over. The crane operator was way outside the safety envelope. They should have winched that straight up, swung just enough to clear the back of the remaining stack, then winched down. You never move a load until you have lifted it clear. If you can NOT lift it clear, you are NOT going to be able to lower it in a controlled manner.

Remember, a counter weights total purpose in life is to hold things on the ground. It was just trying to do its job!!! lol