WHEN BIG THINGS GO WRONG:
GREAT TECHNOLOGICAL BLUNDERS
Along with stunning advances through the centuries, technology has also had its backslides – unanticipated disappointments that send builders, designers and engineers back to the drawing board. These accidents are sometimes spectacular in their scope, and often tragic in their human toll. But behind these embarrassing goofs lie human stories: some of courage and resourcefulness; others of deceit and blunder. Our series will focus on the heroic survivors of the calamities, and on those creative geniuses who learned from their mistakes and turned tragedy into triumph. Using archival and original footage, interviews and photos, we’ll explore the causes behind the catastrophes, and the improvements that were made to ensure they would never happen again.
EPISODE 1: AIR AND SPACE DISASTERS
From Icarus to the Wright Brothers, aviation had a hard time taking off. We’ll take a look at some of the trials and tribulations of the early pioneers, but focus mainly on more recent events.
The Hindenberg
Hitler’s pride and joy, the luxury liner of the air that crashed in a horrifying blaze while landing in Lakehurst, New Jersey. We’ll examine the possible reasons for the destruction of the Hindenberg, and see why there is still debate to this day over whether it was due to natural circumstances – or an act of deadly sabotage. No matter what the cause, today’s lighter-than-air ships have learned from this tragedy.
The TWA Super-Constellation/United DC-7 Collision
This deadly 1956 air crash was caused by an outrageously outdated and under-staffed air traffic control system. The collision led to the establishment of the Federal Aviation Administration and serves as a timely reminder of the life-and-death responsibilities of the air traffic controller.
Apollo I
In 1967, a fire started during a routine ground test of the Apollo command module. The three astronauts inside had no equipment to suppress the fire and were unable to open the six-bolt escape hatch before the flames engulfed them. This tragedy exposed the need for higher design, manufacturing and safety standards at NASA.
Apollo 13
During the Apollo 13’s voyage to the moon, an oxygen tank was ruptured, and the command module’s supply of electricity, light and water was lost. Amazingly, a solution was found – using the moon’s gravity, the spaceship circled the moon, without landing, and returned to Earth. The Apollo 13 is an inspiring and heroic example of an unthinkable disaster that was turned into an unqualified success.
The Challenger
Few will ever forget where they were when the Challenger exploded, killing teacher Christa McAuliffe and the other six crew members. The live telecast carried shock and horror across the country and had a devastating effect on the schoolchildren who watched from their classrooms. When it was determined that the decision to launch the Challenger was flawed, the nation’s confidence in NASA was severely shaken. Despite reforms to the system, NASA is still encountering image problems and a decrease in funding.
EPISODE 2: DISASTERS AT SEA
From ocean liners to oil tankers, channel ferries to nuclear submarines, there is no type of seagoing vessel that’s 100% safe from disaster. But here are a few examples of maritime accidents that inspired policy reforms and made ocean travel safer for the future.
The Andrea Doria-Stockholm Collision
On a foggy night in 1956, the Italian Line’s flagship, the Andrea Doria, collided with the Swedish ship, the Stockholm. The Andrea Doria rolled over on its side and sank, killing 43 people onboard. A misinterpretation of radar signals was blamed for the collision, and faulty ballasting contributed to the sinking. As a result of this accident, ships’ officers are now required to take courses in radar, and ballast systems have been improved.
The Thresher
In 1963, the Thresher, an advanced American nuclear-powered submarine, attempted to dive to its 10,000-foot maximum depth. A few minutes later, all communication from the submarine stopped. Within a few hours, it was clear what had happened – the Thresher had imploded. The accident killed all 129 crew members, and it still poses a threat, as it left a nuclear reactor on the ocean floor 220 miles off the coast of Boston. But it did lead to several important naval reforms, including the development of highly maneuverable rescue vessels.
The Ocean Ranger
A small broken window was responsible for the capsizing of this oil rig in 1982. The window was in the control room of the rig, where the ballast control panel was located. Incoming water short-circuited the panel, and not a single member of the crew knew how to operate it manually. The short-circuit eventually caused the ballast tanks to fill with water, causing the rig to list dramatically. The crew abandoned ship, but their lifeboats were not equipped for the rough waters of the North Atlantic. A rescue attempt failed because the rescue ship did not have the proper life saving equipment. All 84 crew members died. Many regulatory changes were made after this horrible catastrophe, which could easily have been avoided with the proper equipment and training.
The Exxon Valdez
On March 23, 1989, the oil tanker Exxon Valdez ran aground on Bligh Reef in Alaska, spilling 10.8 million gallons of crude oil into Prince William Sound, a place of rare pristine beauty. As a result of this catastrophic spill, Congress passed the Oil Pollution Act of 1990; breath alcohol tests for tanker captains were established; the Petroleum Industry Response Organization was formed; and Exxon was forced to set up a $900 million restitution fund.
The Zeebrugge Ferry Disaster
In 1987, the car ferry Herald of Free Enterprise capsized in icy waters off the coast of Belgium, killing 193 people. The cause was both shocking and heartbreaking – the crew had left the ship’s bow doors open. Our investigation will show the communication breakdown that caused this tragic accident, and the safety systems that were developed in its wake.
EPISODE 3: AUTOMOTIVE DISASTERS
The automobile industry has some of the most colorful, and the most tragic, examples of technical gaffes. Here are some design blunders that made business titans blush, brought reformers to fame, and turned reputable journalists into laughing stocks.
The Corvair
One of the most scandalous of all “lemons” was the Chevrolet Corvair, the car that made Ralph Nader famous. In 1965, Nader published his book, Unsafe at Any Speed, exposing the Corvair’s many design flaws, including its gross instability at highway speeds. Anxious to discredit him, General Motors hired a detective to dig up a personal scandal; in return, he filed and won a lawsuit against them. With the money and the fame that the incident brought him, Nader was able to launch himself as a powerful consumer crusader, and became the bane of the corporate world’s existence.
The Pinto
Ford executive Lee Iacocca was basking in the enormous success of this economical subcompact car – until it was discovered that it had a tendency to burst into flames upon a rear-impact collision. At least 59 people had been killed as a result of its faulty design. Mother Jones magazine charged that Ford had chosen not to alter the vehicle for safety after a “cost-benefit analysis” which places a dollar value on human life. Facing countless lawsuits, Ford made an agreement with the government in which recall threats would cease in return for a contribution of millions of dollars toward various safety programs.
Firestone 500 Steel-Belted Tires
Forty-one highway deaths have been attributed to defective Firestone tires made in the 1970’s. More than 7 1/2 million tires were recalled when it was discovered that their treads were likely to separate from the main structure, especially when under-inflated. When the problem first surfaced, the Firestone company angrily denied any responsibility, drawing fire from the press. Hundreds of lawsuits followed, but Firestone rebounded through clever promotional campaigns, and by offering its customers a two-year warranty.
The Audi 5000
Beginning in the late 1970’s, Audi received more than 1,400 reports of accidents that resulted from sudden acceleration. Three hundred and thirty people had been injured as a result, and seven had died. Many asserted that the problem was that the Audi’s pedals were closer together than those on American cars, causing drivers to accidentally step on the accelerator instead of the brake. But a shocking 60 Minutes report seemed to prove that the sudden acceleration occurred when drivers were indeed standing on the brake. Later on, the report was discredited, but the allegations had already caused Audi irreparable damage. The scandal also led to an advance in automobile safety -- the development of the automatic shift lock.
Dateline NBC and the GM Truck
In 1992 (?), NBC’s popular news show, Dateline, aired a piece on the high rate of fuel tank explosions in GM trucks. Their report included what looked like an authentic test of a truck that burst into flames on camera. It was soon discovered that over-zealous producers had rigged the truck with an sparking device in order to insure the test would produce the hoped for results. We’ll see how a potentially deadly engineering mistake gave way to an embarrassing journalistic blunder.
EPISODE 4: BRIDGES, BUILDINGS AND OTHER STRUCTURES
As long as people have been building things, things have been tumbling back down on top of them. We’ll cover a few structural debacles that burst, crashed, exploded and leaned their way into the annals of history.
The Tower of Pisa
Built on the shifting sands of a former river bed, the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa probably began tilting not long after medieval laborers laid its first foundation stones in 1173. It’s been continuing to lean at increasingly dangerous angles ever since. We’ll trace the many efforts through the years to slow, halt and reverse the lean, and we’ll examine the latest attempt, begun in 1999, which appears to be working.
The St. Francis Dam
Built to guarantee the city of Los Angeles an emergency water supply, the St. Francis Dam was a towering symbol of strength, an impenetrable wall that engineers said would last forever. But they failed to realize that the bedrock underneath the dam was unstable. Less than two years after the dam’s 1926 completion, William Mulholland, chief of the Los Angeles Bureau of Water and Power, was informed that water was seeping through the vast concrete structure. He made the decision not to signal an alarm or evacuate the area. About twelve hours later, the dam gave way, and an 80-foot wave emerged, destroying more than 600 people and killing more than 700 people. In the aftermath of the tragedy it was generally agreed that future dam construction should involve participation by geologists as well as by engineers.
The Tacoma Narrows Bridge
The sleek, graceful Tacoma Narrows Bridge was the third largest suspension span bridge in the world. But it was soon discovered that certain wind speeds caused the bridge to undulate so badly that people driving across became seasick. Five months after it was built in 1940, it collapsed in a spectacular demonstration of wave motion. Experts realized that the laws of aerodynamics needed to be considered when building bridges, and engineers began testing models of bridges in wind tunnels before beginning construction.
The MGM Grand Hotel Fire: The second most deadly hotel fire in United States history was triggered by a simple short-circuit in the deli area. Despite fire protection systems that met regulatory standards, the spreading fire soon engulfed the world’s largest gambling hall in smoke and flames, leading to the deaths of 85 people and the injury of more than 600 others. The monumental disaster resulted in a nationwide reevaluation of fire codes.
The Kansas City Hyatt Regency Hotel
On the evening of July 17, 1981, crowds gathered along the three hanging walkways of Kansas City’s Hyatt Regency Hotel to watch a swing dance contest down below. Two of the walkways suddenly collapsed, killing 114 people and injuring nearly 200 more. It was discovered that the collapse was caused by a simple design change made by the steel fabricator, not the original architects. The resulting mistake was one that an undergraduate engineering school wouldn’t have made. The accident was followed by new regulations that required engineers to take ultimate responsibility for every detail of their projects.
EPISODE 5: OUT OF CONTROL TRAINS
Train safety has always had trouble keeping up with the increasing speed and complexity of the changing times. Each of these disastrous train wrecks exposed a different problem with an antiquated system and sparked lasting reforms.
Saraland, Alabama
Forty four people were killed in the Saraland crash, the worst train wreck in Amtrak history. In 1992, the Sunset Limited plunged into the Creek Bayou when the 80-year-old bridge it was traveling on collapsed. It was 45 to 50 minutes before rescuers arrived on the scene. It became apparent that this old industry had to reinvent and renew itself in order to meet the needs of tomorrow.
Fox River, Illinois
This tragic 1995 accident occurred when a schoolbus stopped in a railroad crossing and was hit by a Chicago-bound express train. The train sheared the body of the bus off the chassis, killing five students on board the bus, and injuring another 30. The Fox River incident is a reminder that fatalities occur at crossings. It serves as a warning to anyone who might ever have an inclination to try to race a train, or ignore a flashing signal.
Cajon Summit, California
In 1996, a 49-car train carrying hazardous chemicals slid off the track while heading down a steep hill and around a curve. The crash triggered an enormous explosion and furious fire in the mountain pass 60 miles east of Los Angeles. The fire, with flames reaching up to 125 feet in the air, burned for nearly 36 hours. Over 3,000 people had to be evacuated. The likely cause: brake failure. Because of the accident and others like it, the Federal Railroad Administration enacted the brake system regulations that were under review at the time the wreck occurred. They have also reduced the speeds trains may attain when barreling down the treacherous Cajon Pass.
Silver Springs, Maryland
That same year, a commuter train carrying Job Corps trainees home on weekend passes was crushed by an Amtrak train. A massive roar, and an electrical explosion, followed the collision as several cars jumped the tracks. One Amtrak locomotive and several passenger cars from the Maryland Rail Commuter train were engulfed in flames. The locomotive’s front was demolished, its side torn with a gaping hole, and its engineer’s cab heavily damaged. Twelve people were killed and 21 injured because it was impossible to pop open the windows or doors of the train. Today, all escape exits are clearly marked, and rescue and railroad workers know how to operate all their safety devices because they vowed never to let this happen again. Few train crashes have had such a profound effect. Today, trains have multiple escape windows, big yellow safety posters, constant safety announcements and prominently displayed signs inside and outside the cars, telling passengers how to get out and rescue workers how to get in.
Gare de Lyon, France
As the evening rush hour began, a runaway electric train collided with another near one of the underground passenger platforms at the Paris train station Gare de Lyon on June 27, 1988. Fifty nine people were killed, and another 32 were seriously injured. The reasons behind the crash were a sad commentary on the state of the French railroad system: anxious to get home quickly, a woman had pulled the communication cord and caused the train to make an unscheduled stop. The driver had trouble resetting the brake system, but finally continued on his route with most of it inoperative because the extra stop had made him late. The French government reacted swiftly, prosecuting everyone involved in the accident. They also began using geostationary satellites to track the trains as part of an extensive communications network that was designed to ensure there would be no collisions in the future. The reaction to the tragedy at the Gare de Lyon is an excellent example of how some countries have chosen to deal with an aging system that can still create the most horrendous consequences for its innocent users.
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