Residents along the Pacific Coast Highway are cut off from the outside world after a storm causes a bridge to buckle; experts reveal how the construction method of the old concrete bridge left it vulnerable to erosion on the steep coastline.
In Puerto Rico, an iconic observatory nestled into a giant crater has to close after cables holding up a critical platform come crashing down; experts analyze the cumulative effects that led to the collapse of this awe-inspiring structure.
On a snowy morning in Pittsburgh, a messy commute becomes dangerous after a bridge collapses; an investigation reveals how corrosion and other environmental factors helped bring down this decades-old structure.
An aging dam in Nebraska is overcome by flooding after the area is hit with a devastating bomb cyclone; an investigation reveals that massive chunks of ice unleashed by the superstorm played a critical role in the failure of the old structure.
In Scotland, a distinguished library is ravaged by not one but two disastrous fires; experts explore how outdated construction methods and materials contributed to the vulnerability of this esteemed place of learning.
Twenty people are killed after a hotel explodes on a cold Saturday morning in America's heartland; an investigation into the tragedy leads underground, where gas lines supplied the iconic building.
An explosion at a chemical plant in New Jersey kills five workers and unleashes a torrent of black smoke into the morning sky; an investigation reveals how a small amount of water led to this fatal manufacturing catastrophe.
A deadly explosion strikes at the heart of a small Texas town and leaves a community in ruins; experts use the latest science to investigate and uncover a nearby fertilizer plant containing volatile chemicals poised for disaster.
Catastrophe strikes Miami, Fla., as a 13-story condominium tower collapses with deadly debris; experts use the latest science to investigate and uncover an uncontrolled method of demolition that led to catastrophic failure.
The construction of a new parking garage at a luxury waterside condo turns disastrous as it collapses in Jacksonville, Fla.; experts use the latest tech to investigate and uncover critical design flaws and unsupported lower levels.
A vital Mississippi River interstate crossing is discovered to be in danger of imminent collapse in Memphis; experts use the latest science to investigate and uncover severely compromised load-bearing tension members with a life-threatening weakness.
A deadly explosion strikes a major crude oil port creating an inferno of epic proportions in Corpus Christi, Texas; experts use the latest science to investigate and uncover a failed dredging operation that ruptured a propane pipeline.
New York residents get a rude awakening when a disastrous crane collapse causes chaos on the downtown streets of Manhattan; experts use the latest tech to investigate and reveal how a slight increase in wind conditions created major catastrophe.
A catastrophic fire at a fertilizer plant threatens city-wide devastation in Winston-Salem, N.C.; experts use the latest science to investigate an outdated, wooden storage facility heavily stocked with volatile, explosive chemicals.
Tragedy strikes the heart of a city as an earthquake wipes out a building full of people in Christchurch, New Zealand; experts investigate an inadequate structural design and weakness in critical supporting columns.
A perfect storm with tragic consequences strikes as flood waters rip away a major highway crossing in Huron, Calif.; experts use the latest tech to investigate and reveal bridge scouring with unsupported concrete columns exposed for failure.
A devastating earthquake wreaks havoc on an iconic San Francisco bridge and leaves drivers fearing for their lives; experts use the latest science to investigate and uncover a weakened expansion joint caused by catastrophic shockwaves.
There's shock in the Bronx, as a vast sinkhole swallows a van.
Catastrophe strikes as one of America's most vital freeway intersections erupts in flames and completely collapses in San Francisco; experts use the latest science to investigate how an overturned tanker truck spawned a devastating inferno.
A devastating railroad inferno takes down a vital route on a historic river crossing in Arizona; using the latest cutting-edge technology, experts investigate the remaining incinerated evidence to determine what caused such a disastrous derailment.
Tragedy strikes in Cincinnati as a sudden bridge collapse leaves one of America's busiest highways at a complete standstill; using scientific methods, expert engineers investigate and reveal how a routine demolition unfolded so disastrously wrong.
A flash flood catastrophe brings one of America's most vital highways to a complete standstill in the California desert; using scientific methods, expert engineers investigate and discover how its bridge foundations lacked a crucial element.
A crane disastrously falls across two lanes of traffic during construction work on a landmark bridge in New York City.
Disaster strikes a new railway bridge as a crane collapses in the middle of major construction in Italy; experts investigate and uncover a compromise in balance with improperly positioned counterweights and a maneuver that resulted in catastrophe.
Tragedy strikes a community when a condominium complex collapses in Miami, resulting in one of the deadliest engineering disasters in American history; experts investigate and reveal potential flaws in the structure's flat slab construction.
A deadly design flaw results in a horrifying rush hour bridge collapse that tragically leaves 13 dead in Minneapolis; using the latest science, experts investigate to reveal what went so catastrophically wrong on one of Minnesota's busiest crossings.
Experts look at engineering blunders that have either caused catastrophes or are disasters waiting to happen; they use cutting-edge technology to examine what went wrong and to figure out if they can be fixed.
A devastating rail disaster outside a small North Dakota town results in cargo erupting in massive explosions; experts use the latest science to investigate and uncover an engineering flaw poised for catastrophic failure.
A series of violent explosions rips through a major Texas oil refinery, causing a fatal disaster and devastation on a terrifying scale; experts use the latest science to investigate and uncover what triggered a catastrophic malfunction.
Construction turns catastrophic in New Orleans when the side of a hotel complex collapses on a busy street below; expert engineers investigate to uncover the reason behind this sudden and fatal disaster.
A deadly tragedy on a freeway in Oklahoma sends one of the state's busiest bridges collapsing into the Arkansas river below; expert engineers investigate how a tugboat striking a reinforced concrete pier could cause such a catastrophic disaster.
When an indoor hotel walkway collapses in Kansas City, Mo., it becomes the most deadly engineering disaster in U.S. history; experts investigate and uncover evidence of a catastrophic design change in the support system construction.
A shipping catastrophe occurs when a massive container vessel runs aground and completely blocks one of the most vital trade routes on the planet; experts investigate and uncover critical wind conditions and potential navigational errors.
A vital hillside highway in Pennsylvania is destroyed in just minutes after a catastrophic landslide rocks a community; engineers investigate and uncover undetected geological issues with an increased and unstable traffic load.
When an oil rig in Louisiana drills into something unexpected, a cataclysmic event is unleashed, causing a lake to suddenly disappear; experts use the latest science to investigate what went wrong and how it can be fixed.
When a dam breaks during routine maintenance, engineers fear a catastrophic flood; experts use the latest science to investigate what went wrong and how a simple miscalculation could be to blame.
Rocking suspension bridge.
A construction crane collapses while lifting a one million-ton section of roof for Milwaukee's Miller Park stadium; experts use the latest science to investigate what went wrong.
When Hurricane Harvey hits Houston, the city is overwhelmed by four feet of rain in four days, causing catastrophic flooding and billions of dollars in damage; experts use cutting-edge technology to discover what went wrong and how it can be fixed.
When the innovative design of an iconic Chicago skyscraper leads to tragedy, experts must apply cutting-edge tech and the latest engineering methods to fix an urgent, life-or-death problem.
In 2006, a fatal collapse in one of Boston's tunnels put an ambitious project in doubt; experts reveal what caused this engineering disaster and how it was fixed.
Montreal's Olympic Stadium is an ambitious engineering project with a striking space-age design, but it's distinctive roof has caused more than $1 billion in cost overruns; experts reveal what went wrong and how cutting-edge science can fix it.
The Deepwater Horizon oil rig drills into the deepest oil reserves on the planet, but a sudden explosion onboard leads to the worst oil spill in history; experts reveal what went wrong and how cutting-edge science finally fixed the catastrophe.
New science reveals the inside story of the Apollo 13 disaster, and using the latest evidence, experts reveal what really went wrong and how NASA saved the lives of the three astronauts stranded in space in a life-or-death race against the clock.
An abandoned Vegas-style getaway with a deadly secret; a ghost town sinking into the earth; a passenger train on a course for disaster.
When catastrophe strikes Skylab, life on Earth is threatened by a space station cratering toward the planet, and NASA experts use cutting-edge technology to reveal what went wrong and if disaster can be averted.
A detonated building mysteriously refuses to fall, an American ghost town with a deadly legacy, and wind turbines on the brink of disaster are engineering disasters in need of repair, and experts reveal what went wrong and if they can be fixed.
When demolitions don't go as planned, engineers race for cutting-edge solutions to bring down the buildings that refuse to fall; experts see if they can succeed where the world's most powerful explosives fail.
At the world-renowned Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan, experts try to succeed when the world's most powerful explosives fail.
In San Francisco, Calif., residents in a luxury apartment block notice that their floor isn't flat; experts and witnesses analyse what happened to the building.
A city with hundreds of leaning buildings, the world's scariest airport and the world's biggest sewage pipe harbor engineering disasters in need of repair; experts use cutting-edge technology to reveal if they can be fixed.
A skyscraper so dangerous that it can melt cars, a bridge fiasco and a stadium roof on the brink of disaster are engineering catastrophes in need of repair; experts use cutting-edge technology to reveal if they can be fixed.
A giant sinkhole, a multi-million dollar road to nowhere and a wind turbine on the brink of disaster are engineering catastrophes in need of repair; experts use cutting-edge technology to reveal if they can be fixed.
A giant tunnel boring machine stuck underground, a village sinking into a mountain and massive holes that could derail a train are engineering catastrophes in need of repair; experts use cutting-edge technology to reveal if they can be fixed.