BOISE, Idaho — It has been over a month since the hangar collapse at the Boise Airport. Newly obtained Boise Police Department (BPD) interviews and reports show that workers at the Jan. 31 hangar collapse at the Boise Airport had concerns over construction.
A crane operator, Kenneth Miller, told BPD the overhead beams were not straight.
"He attributed that to poor assembly," a report stated. "Miller added there were not enough cross sections to support the overhead beams. He added this was very uncommon and there were corners being cut."
Miller also said "the oversight was s--."
Despite the interviews and concerns, Boise Police found there "was no indication of a crime leading to this collapse in regards to Idaho criminal code, such as involuntary manslaughter, negligent homicide, etc."
Legal documents obtained by attorney Enrique Serna, counsel for two victims who were killed in hangar collapse, also show other employees had concerns and that lists of workers at the job site were wrong or incomplete when first given to police.
In one of the interviews, an officer states as he was working to get a list of names of people working at the site, he found there were several workers that were not listed. Additionally, witnesses also described the condition of the victims and the scene.
"As I entered the structure it was overwhelmingly resemblant to me, a smaller version of 'ground zero' 9-11-01," officer Wayne Anderson stated. "Although it was without smoke/fire, the amount of bent steel and carnage was mind blowing."
Serna, the victims' attorney, told KTVB there were concerns the day before the collapse that the structure was not stable.
"They know exactly what happened. They know exactly the reasons why. And it spells someone's in a lot of trouble," Serna said.
In one of the interviews, a supervisor for Inland Crane reported there was a "bow" in a beam, and said "it did not look right."
"A bow is a bend," Serna said. "So, that means the material is weak there for whatever reason. So, what happens after it bows? The next step is it breaks."
Anthony Bongiovanso, an Inland Crane safety officer told police several Inland Crane employees had said there were structural integrity concerns for the hanger.
"He also confirmed multiple crane operators from Inland Crane reported curved beams and snapped stiffener cables," the report stated.
The reports show that Dennis Durrant, owner of Big D Builders, also noticed the bow and said some of the support cables were broken. Interviews also show Durrant reached out to the manufacturer about the supports not being adequate and received guidance from an engineer.
However, Durrant told the Boise Police Department that work continued that day.
Another crane operator told BPD he was told to work fast the day of the collapse because "it was expensive to rent the equipment."
Serna questioned that workers should be told to go fast when working with over a million and a half pounds of steel.
Just before the collapse, the report states a site manager and employees ran away from the structure after hearing popping and creaking sounds.
"That only can mean that there are some trouble signs and some problems," Serna said.
Another interviewee told police there were known issues with the structures, and they were being addressed when the collapse happened.
"Upon inspection of the scene, and conducting interviews, there is no evidence to support a violation of Idaho criminal code, that led to the deaths and injuries from this building collapse. BPD will not be continuing with a criminal investigation at this time, and the case was turned over to the Ada County Coroner's office and OSHA," the report concluded.
Serna said he is not in a position to agree or disagree with BPD's findings. He did tell KTVB he has accessed the site and is waiting to see reports from OSHA before taking further legal action.
On Wednesday, Jan. 31, three men were killed and eight were hospitalized when the hangar collapsed as construction workers were active on site. Inland Crane was hired to assist Big D Builders in the construction.
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