People Are Remembering The Biggest Catastrophic Failures Of Various Human-Made Devices And Here’re 30 Of The Most Devastating Pics
Where there are machines and devices, there’s always a chance they may, one day, out of nowhere, just stop working. Sometimes, it’s just a mere nuisance, other times, if we're talking about big, major structures, the outcome may be catastrophic.
There’s even a whole corner of Reddit dedicated to the latter. The subreddit Catastrophic Failure is a place to share some unfortunate and peculiar scenarios of what happens when things like a chemical storage facility has a leak or when water lines freeze and burst in Texas during the record low temperatures.
So let’s scroll through the compilation below, which is honestly both frightening and a reminder that we all have to be more careful to make sure such accidents won't happen.
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April 28, 1988: The Roof Of An Aloha Airlines Jet Ripped Off In Mid-Air At 24,000 Feet
The plane still managed to land safely. One Stewardess was sucked out of the plane. Her body was never found.
Her name was Clarabelle "C.B." Lansing and at 58, she was senior flight attendant of Aloha Airlines.
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Me too. At the same time it's a weird psychological trick our mind plays on ourselves when one people dying feels worse than if the whole plane had crashed and everybody had died. I guess it's because we can empathize more easily for a single person or a small group of people than for a large number that becomes abstract.
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Oh my God. That must have been a terrifying experience. I bet neither of them bordered any plane again for the rest of their life.
For those curious, there's a half-decent documentary about this one on Youtube where they actually talk to a couple of the people from the flight. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYa7Fq5Ec6c&ab_channel=Wonder
I remember a movie in the early 90's about this.
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Needless to say, this incident caused the FAA to implement new regulations for fuselage metal fatigue testing.
My first thought was "we would have lost a lot more in modern days". People with earphones in and seatbelts unbuckled all the time.
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I'm amazed at how many people survived. At that altitude, temperatures are freezing, and the air is thin. I'd guess a lot of people passed out before the pilot could get down to an altitude people can survive.
This was caused by a combination of metal fatigue, poorly followed maintenance schedules and the wrong sized fasteners were used in replacing some of the fuselage panels. This tragedy was an illustration of why you're requested to fasten your seat belt while seated during flight.
This is a nitpick (sorry)…but the description doesn’t give the crew credit for landing the plane despite explosive decompression and engine failure. The plane didn’t land itself - the pilot had to work hard to bring it down safely.
This aircraft was never repaired and flown again. It was dismantled on site. My former aerospace company purchased the tail section to use in fitting and testing parts.
It's amazing they landed. I can't even imagine how they've been financially compensated but I'll bet Google knows
According to the AP, about 50 passengers received compensation ranging from $30,000 to $500,000 although one man received $850,000 due to injuries and emotional stress.
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R.I.P. Clarabelle "C.B." Lansing So sad that her body was never found! :(
Thats not a catastrophe, the plane landed only one life was lost, thats due to real original catastrophe of the comet model or airplane.
The plane experienced a catastrophic failure. That’s what makes it a catastrophe.
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Holy crap! I've never heard this story. I guess it does help to keep your seat belt fastened.
I saw this plane ! They temporarily ( very) tacked on a repair and brought it to Greenville SC where I lived , after the NTSB released it, and it was fully repaired and returned to service. Donaldson Center was a former air force base turned into industrial park which housed a ton of aviation industry because of all the very long, easy access runways. True story!!
This was a .miracle landing with only one fatality. Can you imagine finding yourself on an open air flight?
I remember this... it was on "mayday documentary"... there is a high probability, that only a small piece of the roof was ripped, but that one stewardess was sucked, stuck in that small hole and then implosion happened.
I remember this. That was the ultimate stress test for seat belts and air masks.
A college friend of mine was the pilot. Outstanding airmanship he displayed.
Clarabell Lansing is her name. This aircraft sat at the terminal in Maui for months after the incident, greeting every incoming plane.
Is this the accident where one of the passengers on boarding noticed something strange in the fuselage near the door? Stress fractures /metal fatigue were not a priority in those days! One death is one too many because of this sort of thing. Condolences to the family of the Stewardess!
May 7, 2021: Tourist Trapped 100m High On Chinese Glass Bridge After Floor Panels Blow Out
The View Of The Tacoma Narrows Bridge Collapse From Atop The Suspension Cabling, 1940
Locals called the bridge "Galloping Gertie" Video of it galloping here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j-zczJXSxnw
In order to find out how one such catastrophe has changed the fashion industry forever, Bored Panda spoke with Ieva Zubavičiūtė, CEO of Fashion Bloc, consultant and investor in sustainable fashion. “On the 24th of April 2013, the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh collapsed killing 1,134 people and severely injuring thousands of garment factory workers.”
Ieva said that the catastrophe was a turning point “for many to find out that our clothes were being made in deadly environments and nobody wanted to be accountable for that.” Moreover, “The collapse of Rana Plaza, a multiple factory facility that manufactured clothing for brands such as Benetton, Mango, Primark, and dozens of others, was a wake-up call to the industry.”
November 02, 2020: Train Breaks Through Barrier Onto Statue At The End Of The Line. Happened In The Middle Of The Night, No Injuries As Of Yet. Spijkenisse, The Netherlands
August 14, 2020: Chocolate Snows Down On Swiss Town Due To Factory Defect
December 2019 In Detroit: A Large Amount Of Chromium-6 Leaked Into The Ground From A Chemical Storage Facility That Contained It Improperly. It Was Only Found Out When It Leaked Onto A Nearby Highway
“Sadly, this was not the first or the last tragedy that could have been avoided if the required safety measures were taken or brands would have monitored their supply chains adequately,” Ieva added. Nevertheless, it helped raise public awareness and initiate campaigns demanding transparency.
“One of the biggest impacts of the Rana Plaza tragedy is public awareness and the beginning of the Fashion Revolution movement. Every April, people are encouraged to demand transparency from the brands they wear by asking #whomademyclothes on social media.”
Gas Leak Into Water Main Taiwan
2019: Cars Getting Transported On An Open Deck Catch On Fire After Salty Water Shorts Their Batteries
One car killed the lot. Something more than just saltwater on a battery caused this though, probably unshielded terminals and sodden bonnet insulation?
35 Years Ago, Space Shuttle Challenger Disintegrated And Killed All 7 Crew, Due To Failure Of A Joint In The Right Srb, Which Was Caused By Inability Of The Srb's O-Rings To Handle The Cold Temperatures At Launch
“In the same way, brands are asked to celebrate their makers. Fashion Revolution created a transparency index where they rate hundreds of major brands - from luxury houses such as Chanel to high-street labels such as Zara on the transparency of their supply chain,” Ieva explained. “Movements such as Fashion Revolution help the public make more informed decisions when buying clothes and prioritize transparency,” the fashion industry expert concluded.
Red Wine Cistern Catastrophically Ruptures At Sicilian Winery
January 17, 2021: Final Seconds Of The Ukrainian Cargo Ship Before Breaks In Half And Sinks At Bartin Anchorage, Black Sea
Boeing 777 Engine Failed At 13000 Feet. Landed Safely
Created back in 2015, the subreddit features “videos, gifs, or aftermath photos of machinery, structures, or devices that have failed catastrophically during operation,” states its description. Today, it has a whopping 1.5M members, so it’s obvious that huge audiences find the content very entertaining.
December 19, 2019: Drill Bit After Taking Out Some Of London's Internet
$1,250,000 Worth Of Corn Spilled After Silo Collapse In New Carlisle, Ohio On Jan 28, 2018
A Functioning Dutch Windmill From 1848 Burned Down
April 20, 2010: The Oil Rig Deep Water Horizon Suffered A Catastrophic Blowout
Even though the group’s title “Catastrophic Failure” suggests that some very unsettling content is shared there, the subreddit’s rules are strict to make sure the posts don’t cross any lines. The group doesn’t allow submissions that depict people visibly being seriously injured: “you must apply the 'Visible Injuries' flair to your post and tag it 'NSFW.'”
Moreover, “If a submission depicts a situation where people were killed, but those people are not directly visible, you must apply the 'Fatalities' flair to your post (e.g. the Hindenburg Disaster, or a plane crash).”
In Pittsburgh. Sinkhole Eats Bus. No One Seriously Hurt
August 4, 2020: Storage Before The Blast, Beirut
The videos from the neighboring balconies still haunt me. So many lost lives and half a city destroyed in the name of greed and power for people who have zero alliance to their own country. Biggest blast in modern history, one year later, zero detained and zero accountabilities. Same poeple still run the country.
On May 20, 1976, During Structural Renovations, A Fire Burned Away The Montreal's Biosphère Transparent Acrylic Dome
$300k Video Wall Came Down In Vegas
Speaking of catastrophes themselves, there have been far too many of them in the past and recent history. Since one of them, the Aloha Airlines flight 243 tragedy in the skies, over 30 years have already passed. The incident happened when cruising at 24,000 feet: an 18-foot section of the plane's roof suddenly ripped off. It caused an explosive decompression, creating a gaping hole in the fuselage and sucking a flight attendant out of the plane.
After the incident, a passenger reported that before boarding, she noticed a crack in the fuselage, but she did not report it prior to takeoff. Later, a National Transportation and Safety Board investigation suggested that the incident may have been caused by the plane's old age and poor maintenance. Moreover, Aloha Airlines short flights like this should have received check-ups twice as often as they had.
Markham, Ontario, Plywood Used To Repair Building Proves Insufficient For The Task
Tires From The United Flight That Declared Emergency During Takeoff. No Injuries
Incorrectly Installed Part LED To Gas Leak. One Fatality And 3 Injured After Explosion When Workers Were Sent To Investigate
Cable On A Window Washing Station Snaps And Hits A Power Line, Causing An Electrical Explosion. The Workers Were Saved By Their Emergency Harnesses
Another peculiar incident happened a year ago at a Swiss chocolate factory where, due to internal malfunction, it sent out a plume of cocoa 'snow.' Fine particles dusted the ground around Lindt & Spruengli factory in town of Olten after the ventilation system stopped functioning properly.
The area where the malfunction happened was in charge of making roasted cocoa nibs. These nibs are fragments of crushed cocoa beans, which are the basis of chocolate. Due to the strong winds, the powder spread around the factory, covering it in fine cocoa dust.
Container Ship ‘One Apus’ Arriving In Japan After Losing Over 1800 Containers Whilst Crossing The Pacific Bound For California
Drone View Of Indonesia's Largest Oil Refinery Explosion In Indramayu
Yes, and my not recycling one styrofoam container is what's killing the planet...
Arecibo Radio Telescope After The Instrument Platform Collapsed. (11/30/2020)
Fireworks Store Bursts Into Flames At The Market In Rostov-On-Don, Russia, On The 6th Of December, 2020
A year ago, a giant whale sculpture became a national hero in The Netherlands for stopping a train that overran the tracks. Luckily, the driver of the train in Rotterdam city escaped serious injury as the train crashed through barriers at the final station of De Akkers in Spijkenisse, near the Dutch port city of Rotterdam. The accident occurred on a raised platform, ten meters (30 feet) off the ground, where the carriage could have easily plummeted into the water below.
Maarten Struijs, the architect who designed the whale sculpture, expressed his astonishment and relief that the structure had played a life-saving role. “I'm surprised it's so strong," he told a Dutch news outlet. "If plastic has been standing for 20 years, you don't expect it to hold a metro carriage."
July, 2014: Brand New Boeing 737 Fuselages Wrecked In A Train Derailment, Montana
When it comes to the term “catastrophic failure” itself, it refers to a sudden and total failure from which recovery is impossible. Catastrophic failures often lead to cascading system failure. These failures are usually investigated with the methods of forensic engineering. It aims to isolate the cause or causes of failure.
Failed Rocket Launch
Note: this post originally had 101 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
This got me thinking of the great molasses flood (Boston, 1919). A giant wave of hot molasses killed 21 people and injured 120 others.
you beat me to it, I was thinking of exactly the same thing. The name makes it seem comical, but it was truly terrible
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Why do all the comments end in 1? Is this a meme I haven't heard of? A database glitch?
Sometimes accident can not be avoided. But we must prepare to prevent it to happen. Most of the time it happens because of poor operation/maintenance and bad safety practice.
Apart from natural disasters these things are always due to poor operation/maintenance and bad safety practice.
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I"m surprised there wasn't a picture of the Nimitz freeway collapse in California after the the '89 Loma Prieta earthquake. That was truly a chilling sight...
Anyone else thinking the Chernobyl disaster should have been on this list ?
They forgot to add the Morandi bridge catastrophe in Genoa, Italy.
What about the Metrodome Collapse or the one in Australia that was full of people when it collapsed. How about all the Rollercoaster accidents.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lac-M%C3%A9gantic_rail_disaster (Absolutely horrifying.)
Yup, there it is. Now I will try to edit it out.
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wonder how much things were there inside and how this affects the ocean for generations and generations.
Seeing all these terrible failures makes me think about earlier civilisations, each one was ended before we started the present one. What will future citizens make of us?
future generations will hate our guts for poluting the earth.
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It's so great that on December 3, 1984, one simple American didn't blow up a chemical plant in an Indian city of Bkhopal by pressing just one button. To hide the traces of the colonial administration's corruption. Without killing 7000 people at once. And without making another 25,000 die painfully. After all, Indians are not human, are they? Why count them? What kind of tragedy is this?
Good for you mentioning that, it's too easily forgotten apparently
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What is wrong with you? Your idea of taste is in question.
Load More Replies... This got me thinking of the great molasses flood (Boston, 1919). A giant wave of hot molasses killed 21 people and injured 120 others.
you beat me to it, I was thinking of exactly the same thing. The name makes it seem comical, but it was truly terrible
Load More Replies... Why do all the comments end in 1? Is this a meme I haven't heard of? A database glitch?
Sometimes accident can not be avoided. But we must prepare to prevent it to happen. Most of the time it happens because of poor operation/maintenance and bad safety practice.
Apart from natural disasters these things are always due to poor operation/maintenance and bad safety practice.
Load More Replies... I"m surprised there wasn't a picture of the Nimitz freeway collapse in California after the the '89 Loma Prieta earthquake. That was truly a chilling sight...
Anyone else thinking the Chernobyl disaster should have been on this list ?
They forgot to add the Morandi bridge catastrophe in Genoa, Italy.
What about the Metrodome Collapse or the one in Australia that was full of people when it collapsed. How about all the Rollercoaster accidents.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lac-M%C3%A9gantic_rail_disaster (Absolutely horrifying.)
Yup, there it is. Now I will try to edit it out.
Load More Replies... wonder how much things were there inside and how this affects the ocean for generations and generations.
Seeing all these terrible failures makes me think about earlier civilisations, each one was ended before we started the present one. What will future citizens make of us?
future generations will hate our guts for poluting the earth.
Load More Replies... It's so great that on December 3, 1984, one simple American didn't blow up a chemical plant in an Indian city of Bkhopal by pressing just one button. To hide the traces of the colonial administration's corruption. Without killing 7000 people at once. And without making another 25,000 die painfully. After all, Indians are not human, are they? Why count them? What kind of tragedy is this?
Good for you mentioning that, it's too easily forgotten apparently
Load More Replies... What is wrong with you? Your idea of taste is in question.
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