History -- Modern Marvels Engineering Disasters 6 Review

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(More customer reviews)This DVD tells the story of a number of engineering disasters - what went wrong, and the path to correction. Repeatedly the script reminds us that each disaster had more than one major contributor or cause.
The first story is that of the Marine Harrier VTOL, made by a British company. The Marines lost 1/3 of these planes and 45 pilots; the accident rate was 7X that of the F-18A. Problems included a temperamental engine that was difficult to access and service (this limited pilot flying time that proficiency was impaired), the fact that it was complicated to fly, and greater vulnerability to heat-seeking missiles (Gulf War). Since today's jets use precision weapons even the original need for the jet has been called into question. Hopefully its planned replacement (Joint Strike Force fighter) will overcome the problems, though it will require a short landing and takeoff runway. (I was disappointed that the DVD did not also tell us the British accident rate with the plane.)
Next came the 1988 Piper-Alfa off-shore drilling-rig fire in the North Sea. Out of 226 men on the platform, 166 died. The rig itself cost $1 billion to build in 1995. Engineers concluded that a pump had failed, ultimately leading to a gas explosion that fractured the main oil line, making helicopter rescue impossible. Other problems included inadequate blast walls and emergency exits.
Then its a 1978 power plant construction accident involving the cooling towers. A cold evening prior to the disaster had prevented the concrete from reaching expected strength (at 200 psi, instead of 800 psi), and workers had improperly disconnected the scaffolding from a lower level as well. Thus, 51 fell to their deaths.
The Cuban Missile Crisis was a major potential disaster in a class of its own. Fortunately, nuclear warfare was averted. However, the DVD uses that instance to then launch into a recitation of several other close calls due to more mundane sources - eg. running a test attack tape that was interpreted as the real thing. The segment ends by pointing out that we only know about our errors - what about those on the other side?
Bullet trains in Japan and Germany ran at about 175 mph. However, a wheel designed for smoother ride came apart at 112 mph, causing a track switch to deploy incorrectly and cars to crash into an overpass. Over 100 were killed. Engineers decided to return to a standard wheel construction and instead beef up the suspension for improved passenger comfort.

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