Famous Failures & Engineering Blunders 

“Brilliant plans... not-so-brilliant outcomes.” 
Perfect for those who know that sometimes, the lesson is in the disaster. 

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Trivia Questions 

1. The Tacoma Narrows Bridge famously collapsed in 1940 due to: 
   a) An earthquake 
   b) A design miscalculation 
   c) Aeroelastic flutter 
   d) Poor construction materials 
    

2. What caused the Therac-25 radiation therapy machine to overdose patients in the 1980s? 
   a) Mechanical failure 
   b) Cyberattack 
   c) Software error 
   d) Incorrect patient data 
    

3. The Mars Climate Orbiter was lost in 1999 because: 
   a) The rocket exploded 
   b) NASA confused Celsius with Fahrenheit 
   c) One team used metric, the other imperial units 
   d) The satellite solar panel failed to deploy 
    

4. What structural failure happened during construction of the Civic Tower in Nigeria (2006)? 
   a) Scaffold collapse 
   b) Foundation washout 
   c) Concrete mix error 
   d) Beam misalignment 
    

5. The Deepwater Horizon oil rig disaster in 2010 was caused by: 
   a) A gas blowout and failed BOP (blowout preventer) 
   b) A hurricane 
   c) Human sabotage 
   d) Fire from a welding operation 
    

6. Which space shuttle disaster was caused by a damaged heat shield from falling foam? 
   a) Challenger 
   b) Discovery 
   c) Atlantis 
   d) Columbia 
    

7. The Lotus Riverside apartment collapse in China (2009) occurred because: 
   a) Faulty concrete 
   b) A retaining wall gave way 
   c) Piling drove into a water table 
   d) Excavated soil was stacked next to the foundation 
    

8. The Hindenburg disaster was caused by: 
   a) Lightning 
   b) Static electricity igniting hydrogen 
   c) Engine failure mid-air 
   d) Structural tear in flight 
    

9. The Hyatt Regency walkway collapse (Kansas City, 1981) failed due to: 
   a) An earthquake 
   b) Miscommunication between design and fabrication teams 
   c) Rusted bolts 
   d) Excess weight from a concert 
    

10. The Vasa warship sank in 1628 because: 
    a) A cannon misfire 
    b) A storm 
    c) It was top-heavy and unstable 
    d) It hit a reef moments after launching 

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✅ Trivia Answers – Famous Failures & Engineering Blunders 

1. c) Aeroelastic flutter 

2. c) Software error (Poor UI and race conditions in code) 

3. c) One team used metric, the other imperial units 

4. a) Scaffold collapse 

5. a) A gas blowout and failed BOP 

6. d) Columbia 

7. d) Excavated soil was stacked next to the foundation 

8. b) Static electricity igniting hydrogen 

9. b) Miscommunication between design and fabrication teams 

10. c) It was top-heavy and unstable