Engineering Disasters

2014 • HISTORY
4.4
27 reviews
TV-PG
Rating
Eligible
Watch in a web browser or on supported devices Learn More

Season 1 episodes (8)

1 Heartland Explosion
4/11/15
On this episode, a massive explosion rocks a small Texas town killing 15 residents. A bridge in Washington collapses sending cars plunging into the river. Two construction cranes in New York City seem to fall from the sky leaving a path of destruction. A ferry full of passenger's encounters trouble and sinks. And a building demolition In Philadelphia goes horribly wrong killing innocent shoppers next door. What do all of these catastrophes have in common? They were caused by engineering failures that led to disasters of epic proportions.
2 Freight Train Collision
4/18/15
This episode investigates a stage collapse at the Indiana State Fair that leaves seven concertgoers dead. Is a gas leak to blame for an explosion in New York City that levels two buildings and kills eight people in their homes? Disaster strikes on an airliner at 36,000 feet as a gaping hole suddenly rips open midflight. Engineers in Japan scramble to save the lives of millions as an epic radioactive release looms. And, how could a train crossing be the site of not one, but two disastrous auto collisions in a single year?
3 Kentucky Sinkhole
4/25/15
Why did a 72 oil-car runaway train crash, killing 47 people and leveling half a town? Was it the brakes? Also, can engineers do anything to fix a gaping sinkhole at the National Corvette Museum, so car enthusiasts can safely return? And, what caused the Minneapolis Metrodome's iconic roof to collapse? Was it an engineering flaw or Mother Nature? Football fans want to know. Then, as 33 Chilean miners await their ultimate fate, trapped almost a half mile underground, mine drilling engineers scramble to dig a hole big enough to rescue them. Can a special drill make it though through earth harder than granite? And finally, JetBlue flight 194 started out like any other for 149 passengers. But just minutes into the journey, the airplane is almost crippled by a sudden hydraulic failure.
4 Colorado Dam Disaster
5/2/15
On this episode, a storm of the century takes out nine dams in Colorado, flooding entire towns and leaving thousands stranded. A train carrying hazardous materials derails, releasing toxic vapors throughout a small NJ community. A natural gas line breaks and reduces a neighborhood to ashes and rubble. A cargo jet crashes seconds after take off in Afghanistan. And, a luxury cruise goes from smooth sailing to wrecked on the rocks.
5 California Pipeline Catastrophe
5/9/15
On this episode, an explosion in a San Bruno, California neighborhood destroys homes and kills residents. An experienced captain and crew sail their ship into the path of Hurricane Sandy, leaving many asking why? A building full of 3,500 garment workers suddenly collapses and traps many of them inside.
6 Trapped Under Seattle
5/16/15
Why did Asiana flight 214, packed with passengers, suddenly crash land and cartwheel across San Francisco International Airport's runway? Three families of the dead want answers. And, what triggered a massive explosion at a chemical plant outside Wichita, Kansas?
7 Raging Rocket
5/23/15
This episode investigates a mudslide that swallows an entire neighborhood, leaving scientists baffled. A rocket on its way to the international space station suddenly bursts into flames just seconds after liftoff. What caused one of the busiest commuter train lines in the country to fly off the tracks twice in just six months?
8 Exploding Manhole Covers
5/23/15
On this episode, a modern jetliner crashes with 228 people on board. An oil refinery erupts in Utah, sending shockwaves through town and damaging over 100 homes. Manhole covers explode around the country, killing people and destroying property. A coal filled freight train derails, and buries two women sitting near the tracks. And, a routine elevator ride turns deadly.

About this show

Throughout history some of mankind's proudest moments have come at the hands of its engineers. In the ancient world the Colossus at Rhodes, the Pyramids of Egypt, and the Great Wall of China, and modern triumphs like the Hoover Dam, the Space Shuttle, and the Golden Gate Bridge, all have the power to awe us and make us feel proud to be human. But what happens when the engineers fail, when their calculations are wrong, when it all come tumbling down? Throughout history it has meant disaster. Just as in the time of Hammurabi, who passed the first laws concerning inadequate construction, buildings collapse even today -much bigger buildings than Hammurabi ever dreamed of. In the modern world the stakes are much higher - but engineers are just as human as they ever were. An engineering disaster involving a passenger jet can jeopardize hundreds of innocent people. And if a nuclear or chemical plant is involved, it can mean death for thousands. For the first time in history, engineers now have the power to wipe out entire cities, by mistake.

Ratings and reviews

4.4
27 reviews
Justin Turner
March 1, 2019
Very Detail information into some well known disasters throughout the word. If you like Modern Marvels Engineering Disasters this will quench your thirst.
Did you find this helpful?
A Google user
March 9, 2017
Cool
Did you find this helpful?

Rate this show

Tell us what you think.