Editing Catastrophic failure (section)

==Examples==
{{see also|Structural integrity and failure#Notable failures}}
[[Image:Original Tay Bridge before the 1879 collapse.jpg|thumb|right|300px|Original Tay Bridge from the north]]
[[Image:Tay bridge down.JPG|thumb|right|300px|Fallen Tay Bridge from the north]]
Examples of catastrophic failure of engineered structures include:
* The [[Tay Rail Bridge disaster]] of 1879, where the center {{convert|0.5|mi}} of the bridge was completely destroyed while a train was crossing in a storm. The bridge was inadequately designed and its replacement was built as a separate structure upstream of the old.
* The failure of the [[South Fork Dam]] in 1889 released 4.8&nbsp;billion US gallons (18&nbsp;billion litres) of water and killed over 2,200 people (popularly known as the [[Johnstown Flood]]).
* The collapse of the [[St. Francis Dam]] in 1928 released 12.4&nbsp;billion US gallons (47&nbsp;billion litres) of water, resulting in a death toll of nearly 600 people.
* The collapse of the first [[Tacoma Narrows Bridge (1940)|Tacoma Narrows Bridge of 1940]], where the main deck of the road bridge was totally destroyed by dynamic oscillations in a {{cvt|40|mph|kph}} wind.
* The [[De Havilland Comet#Comet disasters of 1954|De Havilland Comet disasters of 1954]], later determined to be structural failures due to greater [[Fatigue (material)|metal fatigue]] than anticipated at the corners of windows.
* The 62 [[Banqiao Dam]]s failure event in China in 1975, due to [[Typhoon Nina (1975)|Typhoon Nina]]. Approximately 86,000 people died from flooding and another 145,000 died from subsequent diseases, a total of 231,000 deaths.
* The [[Hyatt Regency walkway collapse]] of 1981, where a suspended walkway in a hotel lobby in [[Kansas City, Missouri]], collapsed completely, killing over 100 people on and below the structure.
* The [[Space Shuttle Challenger disaster|Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' disaster]] of 1986, in which an O-ring of a rocket booster failed, causing the external fuel tank to break up and making the shuttle veer off course, subjecting it to aerodynamic forces beyond design tolerances; the entire crew of 7 and vehicle were lost.
* The [[Nuclear reactor technology|nuclear reactor]] at the [[Chernobyl nuclear power plant|Chernobyl power plant]], which [[Chernobyl disaster|exploded in April 26, 1986]] causing the release of a substantial amount of [[radioactive]] materials.
* The collapse of the [[Warsaw radio mast]] of 1991, which had up to that point held the title of [[world's tallest structure]].
* The [[Sampoong Department Store collapse]] of 1995, which happened due to structural weaknesses, killed 502 people and injured 937.
* The [[September 11 attacks|terrorist attacks]] and subsequent fire at the [[World Trade Center (1973-2001)|World Trade Center]] on September 11, 2001, weakened the floor [[joist]]s to the point of catastrophic failure.
* The [[STS-107|Space Shuttle ''Columbia'' disaster]] of 2003, where damage to a wing during launch resulted in total loss upon re-entry.
* The collapse of the multi-span [[I-35W Mississippi River bridge]] on August 1, 2007.
* The collapse of the [[Mexico City Metro overpass collapse|Olivos-Tezonco Mexico City Metro overpass]] of 2021, which had structurally weakened over the years.