Government or official record
Investigation of the Kansas City Hyatt Regency Walkways Collapse
National Bureau of Standards
Where this source supports the record
Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.
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Engineering failures · 17 July 1981Open article references →
The Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse
Hyatt Regency Kansas City atrium · United States
Why editors use it hereDefinitive federal structural investigation of connection, loads, sequence, and code capacity.
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Quick read
During a crowded tea dance on 17 July 1981, suspended walkways inside the Hyatt Regency Kansas City atrium collapsed.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Trigger and conditions
Hundreds gathered in and around the atrium for a weekly dance, loading the bridges with spectators.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Uncertainty
The mechanical failure is exceptionally well established.
Reviewed 26 July 2026 -
Why it matters
The collapse was caused not merely by a drafting change but by a process that allowed a critical load-path alteration to pass without calculation.
Reviewed 26 July 2026
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Quick read