8 Infamous Engineering Failures

Contrary to popular belief, engineering is not a new concept. It’s just that modern technology is so advanced that the current innovations seem exceptionally remarkable. Other than that, we have witnessed unique engineering inventions in various sectors, such as transportation and space exploration, over time. While most engineering projects have been a success, some have been disastrous. On a slightly brighter side, without these catastrophes, engineers can’t learn from their failures, nor can they gain valuable experience in solving real-life problems. With that in mind, here are some of the most infamous engineering failures.

1. St Francis Dam Disaster in Los Angeles

On March 12, 1928, the St Francis Dam in Los Angeles collapsed, killing at least 600 people and destroying millions of dollars worth of property. This bridge was built by self-taught engineer William Mulholland.

However, before pointing out that Mulholland should probably not have been working on the project, it’s important to note that he initially built the Aquaduct in LA, which was a huge success. The strangest part about this engineering failure is that the St Francis dam collapsed 12 hours after it had been inspected and passed. Experts discovered the cause was a defective foundation and an ignorance of the geographical surroundings. Funny enough, William Mulholland wasn’t sacked after this failure. Instead, he willingly resigned a year later.

2. Miscalculation of the France Rail Network

If you think 10cm can’t make a difference in a project, you need to ask how French Rail Engineers ended up with a cost of over $70 million in repairs. In 2014, a French railway company ordered 2000 high-speed trains. On arrival, it was discovered that the trains were too wide for the railway. The width varied by 10cm, a miscalculation that resulted in significant losses. In their defense, the engineers claimed they had never worked with high-speed trains.

3. Great Molasses Flood of Boston

The residents of Boston were dumbfounded when a river of sticky molasses flowed through their streets on January 15, 1919. More than 2 million gallons of molasses were stored in a huge tank stretching 50ft tall. The mistake the engineers who built this tank made was not designing it to withstand temperature changes. So, when the temperatures changed, the tank exploded, sending the molten sugar in different directions.

4. 1971 to 1976 Ford Pintos

While recalls are very common in the auto industry, Ford made history in the 70s when they recalled the Pinto, which had allegedly killed between 20 and 180 people. When manufacturing the Ford Pintos in the 1970s, the engineers discovered an issue with the fuel tank. Incidentally, the fuel tank ruptured easily because of the car’s design.

The Ford Engineers devised a cost-effective solution for this problem, costing only $11 per car. However, the issue was not fixed. On the contrary, it caused many fires, attracting the attention of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and several journals. A lawsuit was filed, and Ford recalled the Ford Pinto in 1978. By the time of the recall, Ford had already sold more than 2 million Pintos, resulting in massive losses.

5. The Hyatt Regency Hotel Walkway

In 1980, some engineers were contracted to build walkways over the lobby at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Missouri. It only took a year to erect the walkways, which was a phenomenal fete (or so they thought). Unfortunately, during a dance hosted in July 1981, the walkways collapsed, killing 114 people and injuring around 200 attendees and participants.

Several issues caused this engineering disaster. First, its weight was more than the city’s bearing regulations. Also, a set of very slim rods were used to erect the walkway.

6. New Orleans Levee System

Hurricane Katrina caused the deaths of many people in New Orleans and destroyed lots of property. However, this wouldn’t have been the case if the New Orleans Levee and Flood Wall system had been correctly built. When erecting the New Orleans Levee System, the Army Corps engineers overlooked the strength of the soil. As such, they built a system that could only withstand mild hurricanes. Also, the height of these levees was not up to standard.

When Hurricane Katrina struck, the levees were ineffective, leading to the flooding of more than 80% of the city. It’s fair to say the engineers weren’t solely to blame for this failed engineering project. If anything, politicians also mismanaged funds meant for this project with the help of state officials.

7. The Sinking of the Titanic

The Titanic is undeniably the most infamous engineering failure of all time. Even though the cause of the sinking of the Titanic has been a subject of controversy, the design of this vessel was the problem. The engineers who built the Titanic designed bulkheads that were too short to hold water in case of flooding.

So, when it hit the iceberg, too much water filled the Titanic, making it impossible to continue floating. Other factors that led to its sinking include the speed at which it was traveling and the captain’s ignorance of the presence of icebergs. All these mistakes led to the death of at least 1500 people.

8. The Collapse of the Quebec Bridge

This engineering disaster is unique because it happened twice! In August 1907, the Quebec Bridge collapsed while it was being built, killing more than three-quarters of the workers. The rest were left terribly injured. Experts say the suspension of the cantilever and south anchor arm was faulty, leading to the accident.

Construction was halted and restarted in 1913. To think the engineers would be more careful this time around, the center span fell and killed 13 men while it was being connected in 1916. However, this didn’t stop the Canadian government from erecting this bridge. It was completed in 1917 and opened for traffic.