[5] It was a luffing-jib tower crane manufactured by Favco that was 200 feet (61 m) tall at the time of the collapse.

The accident occurred when workers were attaching a new steel collar to anchor it to the building at the 18th floor, as part of an operation to extend the crane upwards.

[6] The OSHA investigation determined that the Favco instructions for lifting a stabilizing collar to the ninth floor level were not followed, using only half the number of polyester slings recommended.

The DOB and Mayor Michael Bloomberg later stated, to the ire of local residents, that the infractions were normal for a project of that scale.

On March 4, a DOB inspector filed a report stating that no safety violations were identified at the site; however, the inspector was later charged with falsifying a report after it was determined that no inspection took place on March 4.