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7 – Space Shuttle Columbia disaster (over United States, 2003) The Space Shuttle Columbia disaster occurred on February 1, 2003, when shortly before it was scheduled to conclude its 28th mission, STS-107, the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated over Texas during re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere, resulting in the death of all seven crew members. Debris from Columbia fell to Earth in Texas along a path stretching from Trophy Club to Tyler, as well as into parts of Louisiana.The loss of Columbia was a result of damage sustained during launch when a piece of foam insulation the size of a small briefcase broke off from the Space Shuttle external tank (the 'ET' main propellant tank) under the aerodynamic forces of launch. The debris struck the leading edge of the left wing, damaging the Shuttle's thermal protection system (TPS), which shields it from heat generated with the atmosphere during re-entry. While Columbia was still in orbit, some engineers suspected damage, but NASA managers limited the investigation, on the grounds that little could be done even if problems were found.[1][dead link] NASA's original shuttle design specifications stated that the external tank was not to shed foam or other debris; as such, strikes upon the shuttle itself were safety issues that needed to be resolved before a launch was cleared. Launches were often given the go-ahead as engineers came to see the foam shedding and debris strikes as inevitable and unresolvable, with the rationale that they were either not a threat to safety, or an acceptable risk. The majority of shuttle launches recorded such foam strikes and thermal tile scarring.[2] One of the most significant foam strikes happened on STS-112, just two launches before, where a chunk of foam broke away from the ET bipod ramp and hit the SRB-ET Attach Ring near the bottom of the left SRB causing a dent ~4" wide and 3" deep into the solid metal.[3] After that mission, the situation was analyzed and NASA decided to press ahead under the justification that "The ET is safe to fly with no new concerns (and no added risk)"[4] of further foam strikes, justification that was revisited while Columbia was still in orbit and Chair of the Mission Management Team (MMT) Linda Ham re-assessed, stating that the “Rationale was lousy then and still is”. Ham as well as Shuttle Program Manager Ron Dittemore had both been present at the October 31, 2002 meeting where this decision to continue with launches was made.[5] During re-entry of STS-107, the damaged area allowed the hot gases to penetrate and destroy the internal wing structure,[6] rapidly causing the in-flight breakup of the vehicle. An extensive ground search in parts of Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas recovered crew remains and many vehicle fragments. Mission STS-107 was the 113th Space Shuttle launch. It was delayed 18 times[7] over the two years from its original launch date of January 11, 2001, to its actual launch date of January 16, 2003. (It was preceded by STS-113.) A launch delay due to cracks in the shuttle's propellant distribution system occurred one month before a July 19, 2002, launch date. The Columbia Accident Investigation Board (CAIB) determined that this delay had nothing to do with the catastrophic failure six months later.[7] The Columbia Accident Investigation Board's recommendations addressed both technical and organizational issues. Space Shuttle flight operations were delayed for two years by the disaster, similar to the Challenger disaster. Construction of the International Space Station was put on hold, and for 29 months the station relied entirely on the Russian Federal Space Agency for resupply until Shuttle flights resumed with STS-114 and 41 months for crew rotation until STS-121. Major changes to shuttle operations, after missions resumed, included a thorough on-orbit inspection to determine how well the shuttle's thermal protection system had endured the ascent, and keeping a designated rescue mission at the ready in case irreparable damage was found. Also it had been decided that all missions would be flown only to ISS so that the crew could use that spacecraft as a "safe haven" if need be. Later NASA decided it would be an acceptable risk to make one exception to that policy for one final mission to repair Hubble in its high-altitude low-inclination orbit.
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7 – Space Shuttle Challenger disaster (over Florida, 1986)
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3 – Soyuz 11 (space, 1971)
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3 – Apollo 1 (Florida, 1967) - occurred on ground before launch
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1 – Soyuz 1 (SE of Orenburg, Russia, 1967)
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1 – X-15 Flight 191 (suborbital, crashed ~50 miles NE of Edwards AFB, 1967)
Sporting events -
1,112 – Upper tier collapse of the Circus Maximus, (Ancient Rome, c.140 AD) The Circus Maximus (Latin for great or large circus, in Italian Circo Massimo) is an ancient Roman chariot racing stadium and mass entertainment venue located in Rome, Italy. Situated in the valley between the Aventine and Palatine hills, it was the first and largest stadium in ancient Rome and its later Empire. It measured 621 m (2,037 ft) in length and 118 m (387 ft) in width, and could accommodate about 150,000 spectators.[1] In its fully developed form, it became the model for circuses throughout the Roman Empire. The site is now a public park.
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590 – Happy Valley Racecourse fire, (Happy Valley, Hong Kong, February 26, 1918) Happy Valley Racecourse (Chinese: 快活谷馬場 or 跑馬地馬場) is one of the two racecourses for horse racing in Hong Kong. It is located in Happy Valley on Hong Kong Island, surrounded by Wong Nai Chung Road and Morrison Hill Road. It was first built in 1845 to provide horse racing for the British people in Hong Kong. Before it was built, the area was a swampland, but also the only flat ground suitable for horse racing on Hong Kong Island. To make way for the racecourse, Hong Kong Government prohibited rice growing by villages in the surrounding area. The first race ran in December 1846. Over the years, horse racing became more and more popular among the Chinese residents. On 26 February 1918, there was a fire and at least 590 people died. By the next day as many as 576 definite deaths were reported by the Hong Kong Telegraph.[1] It was caused by the collapse of a temporary grandstand, which knocked over food stalls and set bamboo matting ablaze.[2] It is a fire with one of the highest casualties in Hong Kong history. The track was rebuilt in 1995, and became a world-class horse racing facility. Several football, hockey and rugby fields are encircled by the horseracing track.
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328 – Lima National Stadium tragedy, (Lima, May 24, 1964).
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~200 – Collapse of wooden bleachers at Corralejas bullring/stadium, Sincelejo, Sucre, Colombia, January 20, 1980.
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96 – Hillsborough stadium crush (Sheffield, England, 1989)
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80+ – 24 hours of Le Mans auto race crash (Le Mans, France, 1955)
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71 – Puerta 12 crush (Buenos Aires, Argentina, 23 June 1968)
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67 – Luzhniki Disaster, football match crush (Moscow, USSR, 1982)
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66 – Second Ibrox stadium disaster, stairway crowd crush (Glasgow, Scotland, 1971)
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56 – Bradford City stadium fire (Bradford, England, 1985)
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43 – Ellis Park Stadium Disaster, football match crush (Johannesburg, South Africa, 11 April 2001)
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13 – Democratic Republic of Congo football league second division of Socozaki and Nyuki System match riot at Matokeo stadium, Butembo, North Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo, September 14, 2008.
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8 – 2010 California 200 Off Road race, eight spectators killed when an off road truck rolled into the gallery.
Stampedes and panics -
4,000 – mass panic at air raid shelter, during Japanese bombing of Chongqing, most deaths caused by suffocation (Chongqing, China, 1941) The bombing of Chongqing (Traditional Chinese: 重慶大轟炸, Simplified Chinese: 重庆大轰炸, Japanese: 重慶爆撃, from 18 February 1938 to 23 August 1943) was part of a terror bombing operation conducted by Imperial Japanese Army Air Service and Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service on the Chinese provisional capital of Chongqing, authorized by the Imperial General Headquarters. A conservative estimate places the number of bombing runs at more than 5,000, with more than 11,500 bombs dropped, mainly incendiary bombs. The targets were usually residential areas, business areas, schools, hospitals (non-military targets). These bombings were probably aimed at cowing the Chinese government, or as part of the planned Sichuan invasion.
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1,426 – stampede by pilgrims inside a pedestrian tunnel (Mecca, 1990)
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1,389 – Khodynka Tragedy at coronation of Nicholas II, (Moscow, 1896)
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953 – Baghdad bridge stampede, (Baghdad, Iraq, 2005) (note: because the stampede was triggered by reports of a bombing, this figure is also included in the higher estimate for casualties of the War in Iraq)
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800 – 1954 Kumbh Mela stampede, crowd crush at religious festival (Allahabad, India, 1954)
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357 – Phnom Penh stampede (Phnom Penh Cambodia, 2010)
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362 – stampede at the stoning of the devil ritual (Mecca, 2006)
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270 – stampede at the stoning of the devil ritual (Mecca, 1994)
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258 – crowd crush at religious festival (Wai, Maharashtra, India, 2005)
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251 – stampede at the stoning of the devil ritual (Mecca, 2004)
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224 – 2008 Jodhpur stampede disaster, in Chamunda Devi temple, Rajasthan, India, September 30, 2008
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162 – Naina Devi Temple stampede disaster at Bilaspur, Himachal Pradesh, India on August 3, 2008.
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123 – Hearts of Oak vs. Kumasi Ashanti Kotoko soccer match crush (Accra, Ghana, 2001)
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102 – 2011 Sabarimala stampede, broken out during an annual pilgrimage at Sabarimala, Kerala, India on January 14, 2011.
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78 – PhilSports Arena stampede, Manila, Philippines, February 4, 2006
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51 – Yemeni presidential candidate Ali Abdullah Saleh election rally stampede disaster, Zunjubar, Ibb Governorate, Yemen, September 13, 2006.
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42 – Ellis Park Stadium Disaster, Johannesburg, South Africa, April 11, 2001
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37 – Mihong Park Lantern Festival stampede disaster, Miyun, Beijing, China, February 5, 2004.
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36 – Modibo Keita Stadium stampede disaster in Bamako, Mali on February 21, 2011.[citation needed]
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33 – Kumbh Mela bathing festival stampede disaster, Nasik, Maharashtra, India, August 26, 2003.
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29 – Mosque stampede (Karachi, 2006)
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26 – Djinuereber Mosque stampede disaster in Timbuktu, Tombouctou, Mali on February 2010.[citation needed]
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23 – al-Mureikh Stadium stampede disaster, during graduation ceremony at Omdurman, Sudan on July 13, 2008.
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21 – Love Parade stampede, Duisburg, Germany, July 24, 2010.
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13 – News Divine nightclub stampede disaster, Nueva Atzacoalco, Mexico City, June 20, 2008.
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13 – Throb Nightclub stampede disaster, Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, March 24, 2000.
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11 – Progressing firework festival that stampede and panics at Akashi Footbridge, Japan, (21 July 2001)
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10 – All Africa Arts Hall concert stampede disaster, Bandung, West Java, Indonesia, February 10, 2008.
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9 – Pearl Jam performance at Roskilde Festival, Denmark, June 30, 2000.
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