Top 11 Most Expensive Accidents in History
Throughout history, humans have always been prone to accidents.
Some, such as the exotic car crashes seen on this page, can be very
expensive. But that's trivial compared to the truly expensive accidents.
An accident is defined as "an undesirable or unfortunate happening that
occurs unintentionally and usually results in harm, injury, damage, or
loss". Our aim is to list the top 11 most expensive accidents in the
history of the world as measured in dollars.
This includes property damage and expenses incurred related to
the accident such as cleanup and industry losses. Many of these
accidents involve casualties which obviously cannot be measured in
dollar terms. Each life lost is priceless and is not factored into the
equation. Deliberate actions such as war or terrorism and natural
disasters do not qualify as accidents and therefore are not included in
this list.
# 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 11 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).
# 10. 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.
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# 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. Zardari - Priceless
On 5 March 2008, Mr Zardari was cleared of five corruption
charges only because the courts "abolished the cases against all public
office holders",including corruption and illegal use of property under
NRO, the National Reconciliation Ordinance. He had another trial on the
remaining charges on 14 April 2008, when he was cleared under the same
NRO. On 19 April 2008, Zardari announced in a press conference in London
that he and his sister, Faryal Talpur, would participate in the
by-elections taking place on 3 June and that, if necessary, he would
contest to become the country's next Prime Minister. Mr Zardari
subsequently became President of Pakistan. By all accounts, he ranks as
the biggest and the most expensive accident in history.
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