Fun with numbers

[Felixbiel]

# 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).

<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/babes_in_blue>

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/babes_in_blue

# 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.

# 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 month.....

[obi wan folie]

[Guest Total tint]

[TintJunkie]

Felixbiel, do you listen to W&J in the morning. I heard this on their radio show this morning. #1 IS a real disaster.

[running free]

[TINT]

and its all going into the banks instead of the people.

[Felixbiel]

No I don't listen to the radio anymore. My Dad sent it to me in an email he might have heard it on that show.