Posted by
Icarus on Friday, March 13, 2009 4:22:20 PM
# 11. Titanic - $150 Million
The sinking of the
Titanic is possibly the most famous accident in the world. But it barely makes
our list of top 10 most expensive. On April 15, 1912, the Titanic sank on its
maiden voyage and was considered to be the most luxurious ocean liner ever
built. Over 1,500 people lost their lives when the ship ran into an iceberg and
sunk in frigid waters. The ship cost $7 million to build ($150 million in today
' s dollars).
# 11. Tanker Truck vs. Bridge - $358 Million
On August 26, 2004, a car collided with a
tanker truck containing 32,000 liters of fuel on the Wiehltal Bridge in Germany
. The tanker crashed through the guardrail and fell 90 feet off the A4 Autobahn
resulting in a huge explosion and fire which destroyed the load-bearing ability
of the bridge Temporary repairs cost $40 million and the cost to replace the
bridge is estimated at $318 Million.
# 9. MetroLink Crash - $500 Million
On September 12, 2008, in what was one of
the worst train crashes in California history, 25 people were killed when a
Metrolink commuter train crashed head-on into a Union Pacific freight train in
Los Angeles . It is thought that the Metrolink train may have run through a red
signal while the conductor was busy text messaging. Wrongful death lawsuits are
expected to cause $500 million in losses for Metrolink.
# 8.
B-2 Bomber Crash - $1.4
Billion
Here we have our first billion dollar
accident (and we ' re only #7 on the list). This B-2 stealth bomber crashed
shortly after taking off from an air base in Guam on February 23, 2008.
Investigators blamed distorted data in the flight control computers caused by
moisture in the system. This resulted in the aircraft making a sudden nose-up
move which made the B-2 stall and crash. This was 1 of only 21 ever built and
was the most expensive aviation accident in history. Both pilots were able to
eject to safety.
# 7.
Exxon Valdez - $2.5
Billion
The Exxon Valdez oil spill was not a large
one in relation to the world ' s biggest oil spills, but it was a costly one due
to the remote location of Prince William Sound (accessible only by helicopter
and boat). On March 24, 1989, 10.8 million gallons of oil was spilled when the
ship ' s master, Joseph Hazelwood, left the controls and the ship crashed into a
Reef. The cleanup cost Exxon $2.5 billion.
# 6.
Piper Alpha Oil Rig - $3.4
Billion
The world ' s worst off-shore oil
disaster. At one time, it was the world ' s single largest oil producer, spewing
out 317,000 barrels of oil per day. On July 6, 1988, as part of routine
maintenance, technicians removed and checked safety valves which were essential
in preventing dangerous build-up of liquid gas. There were 100 identical safety
valves which were checked. Unfortunately, the technicians made a mistake and
forgot to replace one of them. At 10 PM that same night, a technician pressed a
start button for the liquid gas pumps and the world ' s most expensive oil rig
accident was set in motion.
Within 2 hours, the 300 foot platform was
engulfed in flames. It eventually collapsed, killing 167 workers and resulting
in $3.4 Billion in damages.
# 5.
Challenger Explosion - $5.5
Billion
The Space Shuttle Challenger was destroyed
73 seconds after takeoff due on January 28, 1986 due to a faulty O-ring. It
failed to seal one of the joints, allowing pressurized gas to reach the outside.
This in turn caused the external tank to dump its payload of liquid hydrogen
causing a massive explosion. The cost of replacing the Space Shuttle was $2
billion in 1986 ($4.5 billion in today ' s dollars). The cost of investigation,
problem correction, and replacement of lost equipment cost $450 million from
1986-1987 ($1 Billion in today ' s dollars).
# 4.
Prestige Oil Spill - $12
Billion
On November 13, 2002, the Prestige oil
tanker was carrying 77,000 tons of heavy fuel oil when one of its twelve tanks
burst during a storm off Galicia , Spain Fearing that the ship would sink, the
captain called for help from Spanish rescue workers, expecting them to take the
ship into harbour. However, pressure from local authorities forced the captain
to steer the ship away from the coast. The captain tried to get help from the
French and Portuguese authorities, but they too ordered the ship away from their
shores. The storm eventually took its toll on the ship resulting in the tanker
splitting in half and releasing 20 million gallons oil into the sea.
According to a report by the Pontevedra
Economist Board, the total cleanup cost $12 billion.
# 3.
Space Shuttle Columbia - $13 Billion
The Space Shuttle Columbia was the first
space worthy shuttle in NASA ' s orbital fleet. It was destroyed during re-entry
over Texas on February 1, 2003 after a hole was punctured in one of the wings
during launch 16 days earlier. The original cost of the shuttle was $2 Billion
in 1978. That comes out to $6.3 Billion in today ' s dollars. $500 million was
spent on the investigation, making it the costliest aircraft accident
investigation in history. The search and recovery of debris cost $300 million. In the end, the total cost of the accident
(not including replacement of the shuttle) came out to $13 Billion according to
the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics..
# 2.
Chernobyl - $200
Billion
On April 26, 1986, the world witnessed the
costliest accident in history. The Chernobyl disaster has been called the
biggest socio-economic catastrophe in peacetime history. 50% of the area of
Ukraine is in some way contaminated. Over 200,000 people had to be evacuated and
resettled while 1.7 million people were directly affected by the disaster The
death toll attributed to Chernobyl , including people who died from cancer years
later, is estimated at 125,000. The total costs including cleanup, resettlement,
and compensation to victims has been estimated to be roughly $200 Billion. The
cost of a new steel shelter for the Chernobyl nuclear plant will cost $2 billion
alone. The accident was officially attributed to power plant operators who
violated plant procedures and were ignorant of the safety requirements needed.
# 1. 2008 Presidential Election-
$800 Billion in the first
two months ... and counting.
