The Hyatt Regency Hotel
Walkway Collapse
July 17th 1981
Kansas City - Missouri
The Layout
• State of the art hotel.
• 40 storey building, expansive Atrium, 3
walkways spanning the Atrium.
• Walkways suspended from ceiling – Skyways.
• Suspended by six 32mm tension rods.
• 2nd floor walkway suspended from 4th floor
one
The Problem
• Actual design was not proposed design.
• Appropriate calculations were not made.
• Poor communication allowed the design
through.
• Problem similar to “2 men on a rope” analogy.
• Unfortunately the mistake was realised too
late…
Design Drawings
Proposed Design
Actual Design
The Catastrophic Result
On the evening of July 17th 1981 a large crowd had
gathered to attend a videotaped tea dance party in the
Hotel’s Atrium. Many people were dancing on the
suspended walkways.
The connections supporting the 2nd & 4th floor walkways
failed & both walkways collapsed onto the crowded first
floor lobby below.
114 people were killed with over 200 seriously injured.
Millions of dollars in costs were also incurred.
Consequences
• Loss of life and money.
• Many principal engineers lost their licences.
• Engineers found guilty of : Negligence,
Misconduct & Unprofessional Conduct.
• Expensive legal suits.
• Several firms involed went bankrupt.
Conclusions
• Engineers must always fulfil their
responsibility to society.
• All modifications must be thoroughly
reviewed and calculated during construction
phase especially.
• Such disasters are a constant reminder how an
error in judgement can result in a catastrophe.