Hatchie River Bridge Collapse

April 1, 1989

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For more information, visit:

• NY Times Archive, Tennessee is faulted in collapse of bridge.
• NTSB Safety Recommendation (pdf)  here.
• NY Times Bridge Disasters Section.

Introduction

On April 1, 1989, a 60 foot section of the Hatchie River bridge for State Highway 51 at Covington, Tennessee, collapsed into the river below, which was bloated with rainwater at 2.7 feet above the twelve foot flood level.  Four cars and one semi fell 25 feet into the river below and all the vehicle occupants died, resulting in eight deaths.  The bridge was 50 years old.

Federal investigation found that the river channel had moved 83 feet since the bridge was constructed in 1936 and that the failure was a result of deteriorating timber piles underwater which had originally been buried.  After the Hatchie River bridge collapse, Tennessee started sending divers underwater every five years to check for structural problems.  The National Traffic Safety Board faulted Tennessee for not fixing problems with the bridge ten years earlier.

References

1. NY Times Archive, Tennessee is faulted in collapse of bridge.

2. NTSB Safety Recommendation (pdf)  here.