VIDEO/PHOTOS: Today marks 44 years since one of the most devastating structural failures in U.S. history, the collapse of two suspended walkways inside the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Kansas City. On the evening of July 17, 1981, hundreds of people had gathered in the hotel’s atrium for a popular Friday night tea dance. Just after 7 p.m., the unthinkable happened. Without warning, two skywalks snapped and crashed to the crowded lobby floor below. The collapse turned the hotel into a disaster zone. Rescue crews worked for hours to pull survivors from the wreckage. In the end, 114 people lost their lives and more than 200 others were injured. The weight of the walkways, nearly 72 tons, fell directly onto those gathered below, making it the deadliest structural collapse in American history at the time. The tragedy led to national changes in engineering standards, inspection practices, and building code enforcement.
