Engineering Catastrophes - Season 6
Season 6
Episodes
Texas Fertilizer Catastrophe
A deadly explosion strikes at the heart of the small Texas town of West and leaves the community in ruins; experts use the latest science to investigate and uncover a nearby fertilizer plant containing volatile chemicals poised for disaster.
Miami's Condo Catastrophe
Catastrophe struck Miami, Fla., as the Marlborough House, a 13-story condominium tower built in 1961, collapsed with deadly debris in 2018; experts use the latest science to investigate and uncover an uncontrolled method of demolition that led to catastrophic failure.
Jacksonville's Parking Garage Disaster
The construction of a new parking garage in 2007 at a luxury waterside condo turns disastrous as it collapses in Jacksonville, Florida; experts use the latest tech to investigate and uncover critical design flaws and unsupported lower levels.
Memphis Bridge of Doom
A routine inspection in 2021 discovered a crack in a steel support beam on the I-40 Mississippi River Bridge (aka the Hernando DeSoto Bridge). The vital crossing was in danger of imminent collapse in Memphis, Tennessee. Experts used the latest science to investigate and uncover why severely compromised load-bearing tension members developed life-threatening weaknesses.
Texas Oil Port Inferno
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 on Aug 21, 2020.
Manhattan Crane Chaos
New York City 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 a major catastrophe.
Blaze of Winston-Salem
A catastrophic fire at a fertilizer plant in 2022 threatens city-wide devastation in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Experts use the latest science to investigate an outdated, wooden storage facility heavily stocked with volatile, explosive chemicals - ammonium nitrate and propane.
Quake of Christchurch
Tragedy struck the heart of Christchurch, New Zealand, on Madras Street. On February 22, 2011, a magnitude 6.3 earthquake collapsed a six-story office building full of people, killing 115. This aftershock followed a magnitude 7.1 earthquake on September 4, 2010. Experts investigated an inadequate structural design and weakness in critical supporting columns.
California Flood Fiasco
A perfect storm with tragic consequences struck in 1995 as flood waters in Arroyo Pasajero creek ripped away a double-span highway bridge on Interstate 5 in Huron, California. Seven people died as their cars fell into floodwaters. Experts use the latest tech to investigate and reveal bridge scouring with unsupported concrete columns exposed for failure.
Bay Area Bridge of Mayhem
A devastating magnitude 6.9 earthquake lasting 15 seconds wreaked havoc on the iconic San Francisco Bay Bridge and left drivers fearing for their lives in 1989. Experts used the latest science to investigate and uncover a weakened expansion joint caused by catastrophic shockwaves.
Recently Updated Shows
The Summer I Turned Pretty
Belly Conklin is about to turn 16, and she's headed to her favorite place in the world, Cousins Beach, to spend the summer with her family and the Fishers. Belly's grown up a lot over the past year, and she has a feeling that this summer is going to be different than all the summers before.
Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller
Armed with National Geographic's trademark inside access, Trafficked with Mariana van Zeller takes viewers on a journey inside the most dangerous black markets on the planet. Each investigation in the eight-part series embeds with Peabody and duPont Award-winning journalist Mariana van Zeller as she explores the complex and often violent inner workings of a smuggling network. While she dives deeper and deeper into these underworlds, Mariana reveals - with characteristic boldness and empathy - that the people operating these trafficking rings are often a lot more like us than we realize.
Celebrity SAS: Who Dares Wins for Stand Up to Cancer
In the first ever celebrity series of SAS: Who Dares Wins, 12 well-known faces embark on one of the toughest tests of their lives, to raise money for Stand Up To Cancer. They're living and surviving together in an unforgiving ex-military base, high in the Chilean Andes. From the recruits' very first challenge - a terrifying backwards dive out of a helicopter - Ant Middleton and his team of ex-special forces instructors are determined to show them that no allowances will be made for their celebrity status.
