The Kansas City Hyatt Walkway Collapse

On the night of July 17, 1981, the newly built Kansas City Hyatt Regency hotel was hosting a dance contest in its atrium, presented by a local radio station. Partygoers thronged the floor of the atrium and the three catwalks above, which were located on the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th floor levels. Suddenly, there was a loud crack ...

By |2023-02-17T11:58:51-06:00June 23rd, 2022|Friday Famous Failures|9 Comments

The Thresher Submarine Accident

The newest and most advanced nuclear submarine of the U.S. Navy at the time, the USS Thresher, was continuing with sea trials on April 10, 1963. After commencing a scheduled dive to test depth, the Thresher reported "minor difficulties" to its escort. Shortly after that, sonar recorded the sounds of ...

By |2023-02-22T09:02:15-06:00January 27th, 2022|Friday Famous Failures|7 Comments

The Ocean Ranger Sinking

In February 1982, the Ocean Ranger was conducting drilling operations for ODECO off Newfoundland. The Ocean Ranger was a self-propelled oil-drilling platform that was capable of operating in 1,500 feet of ocean water and drilling to a depth of 25,000 feet. Built by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries in Japan ...

By |2023-02-17T15:36:29-06:00November 18th, 2021|Friday Famous Failures|3 Comments

The Hartford Center Collapse

On the evening of 18 January 1978, nearly 5,000 spectators watched a basketball game in the three-year-old Hartford Center. It was the jewel of an urban renewal program in the city of Hartford, Connecticut, and boasted the largest single span of roof ever lifted into place as a complete unit. The roof was an engineering marvel ...

By |2023-02-22T09:14:57-06:00October 28th, 2021|Friday Famous Failures|18 Comments

The Deepwater Horizon Explosion and Oil Spill

In 2008, the energy company BP received a permit to drill a subsurface oil well in the Gulf of Mexico called the Macondo well. For this project, BP chartered the 10-year-old rig Deepwater Horizon from its owner, Transocean. Halliburton was responsible for cementing work ...

By |2023-02-22T09:15:02-06:00September 23rd, 2021|Friday Famous Failures|6 Comments