Abstract: Employee #1, a rigger, was in the process of rigging up another "Christmas Tree" for the steel erection operation. They had been picking three beams at a time. Employee #1 had put the choker around the first beam, W12X16, slightly over 21 feet long, and tightened up the choker by pulling up on the leg of the sling. This might have pushed up the top end or eye of the sling, which was already over the hook. This likely made the eye of the sling ride up on the hook and onto the point of the hook, or over the point and made it catch on the latch. Then Employee #1 signaled to the crane operator to pick it up so that he could rig up the next beam. The operator picked up the line and the beam was lifted up overhead. The ball and hook were out of sight behind part of the steel framework of the building at this point. Employee #1 was rigging the second beam. Then, all of a sudden, the rigged beam dropped onto Employee #1. After Employee #1 was extricated, the hook and latch were inspected. There appeared to be nothing mechanically wrong with them. There were no direct witnesses to the incident itself, but some employees indicated that they heard a "click" just before they heard the loud noise of the beam hitting the other steel on the ground. This "click" may have been the eye of the sling slipping off of the latch. Employee #1 was hospitalized with a fracture.