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Explore every episode of the podcast Causality

Dive into the complete episode list for Causality. Each episode is cataloged with detailed descriptions, making it easy to find and explore specific topics. Keep track of all episodes from your favorite podcast and never miss a moment of insightful content.

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1–50 of 64

TitlePub. DateDuration
55: CrowdStrike19 Oct 202400:29:04
On Friday the 19th of July, 2024 millions of CrowdStrike Falcon Agents the world over would lead to a Windows system crash on business machines throwing parts of the world into chaos. We look into exactly what caused it and how complacency and a lack of understanding amplified the effect of this wholly preventable incident.
With John Chidgey.

About Causality (TV):

Formal Report:

News Releases and Articles:

General Information:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r', Steven Bridle and Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Jared Roman, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring and Ian Gallagher.
54: Midland Resource Recovery25 Jun 202400:28:01
In 2017 during an Odoriser decontamination procedure in West Virginia, two people were killed when it unexpectedly exploded. Barely a month later, a similar procedure at the same site led to a second explosion, killing someone else. We examine how poor hazard analysis and legal interference led to yet another fatality...right in front of the eyes of the investigators on site.
With John Chidgey.

Formal Report:

News Releases and Articles:

General Information:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r', Steven Bridle and Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Lesley, Jared Roman, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring and Ian Gallagher.
45: Granville02 Apr 202200:25:53
In 1977, a commuter train from the Blue Mountains, destined for Sydney central station would derail just before Granville Station, causing a bridge to collapse and crush many aboard. It remains Australia's worst ever rail disaster that was predicted by 11 engineering department heads just a year earlier. We look at how management decisions led to a completely avoidable disaster.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Links of Interest:

Formal Investigation Extracts:

Informal Investigations:

Video:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Kevin Koch, Shane O'Neill, Oliver Steele, Lesley Law Chan, Hafthor, Jared, Bill, Joel Maher and Katharina Will.
44: Beirut Warehouse 1210 Feb 202200:31:55
In Beirut in August of 2020, an explosion at the Port of Beirut destroyed a huge part of the city. We look into how an oxidising agent, improperly handled can become an explosive and attempt to comprehend how something so dangerous was ignored repeatedly by key people, despite many warnings of an imminent disaster.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Links of Interest:

Reports into the incident:

Video and Images:

Documentary:

Ammonium Nitrate Information:


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Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Kevin Koch, Shane O'Neill, Oliver Steele, Lesley Law Chan, Hafthor, Jared, Bill, Joel Maher and Katharina Will.
43: Triangle Shirtwaist Factory09 Nov 202100:27:21
In 1911 in Manhattan, New York, a clothing factory went up in flames just before closing time. We look at how faulty equipment, poor design and a fear of theft contributed to a wholly preventable incident that had such terrible consequences, but would trigger reforms that still impact the United States, a century later.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Links of Interest:

Cornell University’s Excellent Resource on the Incident:


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Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Shane O'Neill, Kevin Koch, Oliver Steele, Lesley Law Chan, Hafthor, Jared, Bill and Joel Maher.
42: Royal Canberra Hospital16 Sep 202100:45:14
The original Royal Canberra Hospital was flagged to be demolished in 1997 to make way for the new National Museum. A demolition via implosion was selected, but the implosion resulted in an explosion instead, and debris showered the huge crowd of onlookers with fatal consequences.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Report into the Incident:

Video Footage of the Demolition:

Video of Interest:

Links of Interest:

Explosives Used In Demolition:


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Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Shane O'Neill, Kevin Koch, Oliver Steele, Lesley Law Chan, Hafthor, Jared and Bill.

With thanks to Infamous Sphere for the topic suggestion.
41: Florida International University08 Jul 202100:43:10
The university wanted a bridge for its students over a busy roadway that would appear intriguing from afar. Instead it collapsed before it was even finished. We look into how design errors, poor peer review and denial led to a collapse that claimed six peoples lives.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Report into the Incidents:

Design Criteria and Bid:

Civil Structural References:

Companies Involved:

Links of Potential Interest:

Riverside Expressway:


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Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Shane O'Neill, Kevin Koch, Oliver Steele, Lesley Law Chan, Hafthor and Bill.
40: Ocean Ranger24 May 202100:46:36
The largest semi-submersible Offshore Drilling Rig of its day, sank in a storm in 1982 whilst two smaller nearby rigs survived with minimal damage. We dive into how not closing a portlight cover, triggered a series of events that cost 84 people their lives.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Report into the Incidents:

Links of Potential Interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Chip Salzenberg.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Kevin Koch, Oliver Steele, Lesley Law Chan, Hafthor, Shane O'Neill and Bill.

With thanks to Gregory Hess for the topic suggestion.
39: Therac-2523 Mar 202100:53:10
The successor to the Therac-6 and Therac-20 RadioTherapy machines would integrate the powerful DEC PDP-11 mini-computer to control all of the Therac-25s functions, including the safety interlocks, for the first time. In two years the 11 machines in service would overdose six people across two countries, killing three of them before they figured out why.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Reports into the Incidents:

Links of Potential Interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Chip Salzenberg.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Kevin Koch, Oliver Steele, Lesley Law Chan, Hafthor and Shane O'Neill.
38: Thunder River Rapids24 Jan 202100:36:35
A popular family-friendly ride at DreamWorld would claim the lives of four people in 2016. In nearly thirty years of operation the ride had several similar but non-fatal incidents with blame placed on the operator every time, when a three thousand dollar modification could have prevented a horrific incident.
With John Chidgey.

Investigation Report:

Links of Potential Interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Kevin Koch, Oliver Steele, Lesley Law Chan, Hafthor and Shane O'Neill.
37: Variola Birmingham26 Nov 202000:34:30
In 1978 on the cusp of the eradication of SmallPox a Medical Photographer became infected and would ultimately die from the Variola virus. We look at how admiration, promotion and delegation led to a wholly avoidable outcome.
With John Chidgey.

Investigation Report:

Medical Analyses:

Links of Potential Interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Kevin Koch, Oliver Steele, Lesley Law Chan, Hafthor and Shane O'Neill.
36: Big Dig15 Sep 202000:31:47
A series of concrete ceiling tiles in a tunnel portal collapsed on a moving car killing the passenger in downtown Boston in 2006. The selection of the epoxy used in the ceiling tile anchors was unusual and a failure to heed the warning signs were at odds on a huge project under pressure to deliver when already twice over time and five times over budget.
With John Chidgey.

Investigation Report:

Technical Links:

Links of Potential Interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Kevin Koch, Oliver Steele, Hafthor and Shane O'Neill.

With thanks to Sean for the topic suggestion.
53: Callide C Blackout30 Mar 202400:50:52
In 2021 the Callide C Power Station experienced a unit failure that tore the turbine-generator apart, resulted in hundreds of thousands of premises losing power, and cost hundreds of millions to repair. We look at how design errors and ultimately a lack of information led to the incident escalating out of control, when it could have been recovered.
With John Chidgey.

Formal Reports:

News Releases and Articles:

Super-Critical Boilers:

Electrical Engineering References:

Court Action:

General Information:

NOTE: Minor Corrections in audio updated: 31st March, 2024


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Lesley, Jared Roman, Joel Maher, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring, Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto and Ian Gallagher.
35: San Bruno26 Jul 202000:49:33
A modification made in 1956 to a pipeline built in the 1940s would ultimately fail costing 8 people their lives in 2010. We look at what went wrong with PG&Es gas pipeline in San Bruno, California.
With John Chidgey.

Investigation and Reports:

Technical Links:

Links of Potential Interest:

Legal Links:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Joseph Antonio, Kevin Koch, Oliver Steele and Shane O'Neill.

With thanks to John for the topic suggestion.
34: Aberfan07 May 202000:34:44
One Friday morning in 1966 in a small town in Wales a mining spoils waste tip let go with a river of liquified rubble destroying buildings and a school. Killing 144 people, mostly children in their classrooms. The mechanics of how this happened are simple. The ignorance and economics of why this happened boggles the mind.
With John Chidgey.

Related episodes:

Investigation and Reports:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, John Whitlow, Joseph Antonio, Kevin Koch and Oliver Steele.
33: 737 MAX30 Jan 202001:05:52
With two crashes in five months of the new 737 4th Generation a design flaw seemed likely. We look at how Boeings focus on cost-avoidance, grandfathering and bending probabilities during design would ultimately cost 346 people their lives.
With John Chidgey.

Related episodes:

Investigation and Reports:

History of Boeing:

Technical Information:

Standards and Bulletins:

Fallout:

Forum Articles:

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: John Whitlow, Joseph Antonio, Kevin Koch and Shane O'Neill.
32: Walkerton06 Dec 201900:33:48
In 2000 the small township of Walkerton Ontario witnessed the largest outbreak of E.Coli infections in Canada's history. The water utility claimed the town water was safe, but it wasn't and many people paid with their lives.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen, John Whitlow, Joseph Antonio and Kevin Koch.

With thanks to Jon Paul for the topic suggestion.
31: Black Energy03 Oct 201900:26:13
30: Tim Maia04 Jul 201900:19:06
29: Flight 154904 Jun 201900:23:29
In 2009 an AirBus A320 departing LaGuardia Airport in New York suffered a dual engine failure due to a bird strike during takeoff. In a highly improbable event an equally highly improbable landing in the Hudson River shocked and amazed the world. We look at what went right on Flight 1549.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen, John Whitlow and Joseph Antonio.
28: Hotel New World09 May 201900:25:18
In 1986 an unremarkable building in Singapore collapsed killing dozens of people. We look at how the supervision of the construction and the design itself resulted in a structure that was at best critically stable, and ultimately one that could only ever fail.
With John Chidgey.

Prior Episode References:

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen, John Whitlow and Joseph Antonio.
27: Gare De Lyon04 Apr 201900:28:05
On the 27th of June, 1988 in central Paris a runaway train collided with a stationary train in Gare De Lyon station, claiming 56 lives and injuring 60 more. Whilst the court found the driver guilty and sent him to jail, was he solely to blame? We look at how poor design decisions made Gare De Lyon inevitable.
With John Chidgey.

Prior Episode References:

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen and John Whitlow.
26: Bhopal07 Feb 201900:35:53
In December, 1984 in the city of Bhopal in central India, a Union Carbide Pesticide plant would fail and release tonnes of toxic gas into the city, killing thousands of people. It was the worst industrial disaster in human history. We follow the threads and trace back the root causes behind the incident at Bhopal.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen and John Whitlow.
52: Colonial Pipeline09 Dec 202300:26:12
In 2021 many of Colonial Pipelines IT systems were locked by malware and out of caution they shutdown the fuel pipelines feeding nearly half of the Eastern US leading to chaos at the gas pump and a state of emergency being declared. We look at how poor off-boarding hygiene led to an easily preventable cyber-attack.
With John Chidgey.

Hearing:

General Information:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Lesley, Jared Roman, Joel Maher, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring, Dave Jones, Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto and Ian Gallagher.
25: Deepwater Horizon08 Jan 201900:47:22
In 2010 an Oil Drilling Rig suffered a catastrophic well blowout, killing 11 people, destroying the rig and leading to the worst maritime oil spill in history. It all happened a few hours after the well was declared safe and ready for handover. We look at the human and financial factors that led to the incident at Macondo.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen and John Whitlow.
24: Columbia13 Dec 201800:26:39
In 2003 the Space Shuttle Columbia launched successfully but after its mission was completed burned up on re-entry with the loss of all onboard. We look at how normalisation of deviation blinded many at NASA to a risk that had existed since 1981.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen and John Whitlow.
23: Kipton31 Aug 201800:19:25
When two trains collided head on at Kipton, Ohio in 1891, it was a wake up call for the railroad industry in North America whose impacts would be far-reaching and would lead to a new timekeeping standard that was unprecedented.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen and John Whitlow.

With thanks to Clinton Philips for the topic suggestion.
22: Chernobyl08 Jul 201800:47:06
The largest nuclear incident in human history released an estimated 400 times the radioactive material compared to Hiroshima and Nagasaki. It all happened because of a test that was delayed by one shift, or was it the ultimate inevitability of a flawed reactor design?
With John Chidgey.

Prior Episode References:

Technical References:

Timelines:

Essays, Regulations and Miscellaneous:


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Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen and John Whitlow.
21: Milford Haven29 Apr 201800:31:39
A turning point in control systems user interface design and alarm management happened in an unlikely place that few have ever heard of. We look at what went wrong at Milford Haven.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Chris Stone and Carsten Hansen.
20: Stava Dam24 Feb 201800:21:45
On the 19th of July, 1985 in Tesero, Northern Italy, a tailings dam gave way and killed 268 people. With the most common tailings dam design in the world, what went wrong and how widespread are the risks?
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Chris Stone, Eivind Hjertnes and Carsten Hansen.
19: Smiler22 Nov 201700:20:00
In 2015 at Alton Towers in the UK, The Smiler Rollercoaster experienced a major incident leading to severe injuries for multiple riders. We look at how pressure to get the ride running again and mis-communication defeated the system designed to protect the riders.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Chris Stone and Eivind Hjertnes.
18: The Fog14 Sep 201700:20:03
In 1952 a fog in London left 4,000 dead in just 4 days but many more would die before the causes could be rectified. Worse than that, it had happened before and it’s happening again right now, somewhere else.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Chris Stone and Eivind Hjertnes.
17: Three Mile Island02 Jun 201700:32:31
On March 28, 1979 Unit 2 of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Plant in the United States of America an incident would lead to a partial reactor core meltdown. Many blamed the operators for stopping the reactor cooling system but the real root causes showed a known flaw in the design and alarm flooding had blinded the operators to what was actually happening.
With John Chidgey.

Related episodes:

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Carsten Hansen, Eivind Hjertnes and Daniel Dudley.
16: Tenerife10 Mar 201700:28:45
In 1977 on the small island of Tenerife two 747 Jumbo Jets collided on the runway in poor visibility. A miscommunication clearly occurred, but even today, the same elements still exist and it could happen again.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Chris Stone, Eivind Hjertnes and Daniel Dudley.
51: I35 West27 Aug 202300:36:00
The I35W bridge over the Mississippi River carried 140,000 cars every day. Inspections in 1999 and 2003 showed damage to support plates that was dismissed as unimportant at the time. We look into how poor design checking and assumptions led to the bridge collapsing in 2007, costing the lives of 13 people.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Only a Handful of T-Shirts Left!

Reports:

General Information:

Articles:

Videos:

Litigation:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Lesley, Jared Roman, Joel Maher, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring, Dave Jones and Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto.

With thanks to Joe Stariha for the topic suggestion.
15: Sampoong Department Store27 Jan 201700:27:36
The Sampoong Department Store in South Korea collapsed in 1995 killing over 500 people. The investigators were shocked to find just how many rules had been broken but the true root cause might have been something more innocuous.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.
14: Concorde22 Dec 201600:25:06
The Concorde was the first commercially successful supersonic aeroplane that flew for nearly 25 years without a fatality and was considered the safest aeroplane in the world at the time until it crashed. The incident ended the lives of 113 people and it ultimately ended the Concorde itself.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.
13: Costa Concordia13 Nov 201600:24:32
A near-new modern cruise liner with all the navigational aids and maps struck rocks and sank killing over 30 people and the man most responsible still walks free today.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.
12: Mont Blanc Tunnel29 Sep 201600:23:04
The Mont Blanc tunnel cut hours off the journey between Italy and France and in 1999 in a fire emergency services were unable to save 38 lives. We look at why.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.
11: Flint Michigan03 Jul 201600:26:45
For decades Flint Michigan derived safe drinking water from Detroit. When the supply was switched to save money a series of events unfolded and their supply became undrinkable. How could this happen?
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.
10: The Comet05 Jun 201600:24:10
The Comet was the worlds first commercial jet aeroplane and those that flew aboard it formed the so-called JetSet. When they started to crash, the world of aviation changed forever.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producer: Chris Stone.
9: Hindenburg27 Apr 201600:27:18
The largest airship ever constructed burst into flames when trying to land in 1937 in New Jersey in what has become one of the most striking disasters of modern times.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
Episode Silver Producers: Chris Stone and John Whitlow.
8: Challenger10 Mar 201600:37:12
7: Piper Alpha11 Feb 201600:28:35
The Piper Oil field in the North Sea became the site of one of the worst Offshore Oil Rig disasters in history when Piper Platform Alpha went up in flames.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producer: 'r'.
6: Amagasaki29 Jan 201600:23:06
The Amagasaki rail crash was entirely caused by human error but was it a fear of punishment by the company that was ultimately the cause.
With John Chidgey.

Links of potential interest:


Support Causality on Patreon
50: 737 MAX Ethiopian Air22 Apr 202300:52:07
Five months after Lion Air 610 crashed, another 737-MAX went down with a similar cause. However the official report was at odds with two other internationally respected investigative organisations. We dig into the detail of how the AOA Sensor was claimed to have failed, and review checklist discrepancies to extract fact from opinion as to what most likely triggered this horrible chain of events.
With John Chidgey.

This show is Podcasting 2.0 Enhanced

Celebrating Causality’s 50th Episode!!

Previous Episode:

Reports:

General Information:

Articles:

Regulations:

Litigation:


Support Causality on Patreon

Episode Gold Producers: 'r' and Steven Bridle.
Episode Silver Producers: Mitch Biegler, Shane O'Neill, Lesley, Jared Roman, Joel Maher, Katharina Will, Chad Juehring, Dave Jones and Kellen Frodelius-Fujimoto.
5: Maccabiah23 Dec 201500:20:13
4: Titanic11 Dec 201500:24:05
3: Fukushima13 Nov 201500:44:32
2: Don't Roll On Me30 Oct 201500:24:51
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