1. To: Trena Houp, English Professor at the University of Florida
From: Jessica Eagerton, Student
Date: August 8, 2014
Subject: Ethical Failings From the Hyatt Regency Hotel Collapse
The purpose of this memo is to inform you about the negligence and lack of ethical
responsibility that injured more than 200 people cost 114 people’s lives on July 17,1981.
The atrium ceiling collapse at the Hyatt Regency in Kanas City revealed a number of
unethical practices. Due to poor technical documentation and lack of professionalism in
the business place, hotel owner, Crown Center Redevelopment Corporation, and its hired
engineering firm are held accountable for this catastrophe. It is unfortunate that simply
acting ethically could have prevented this situation.
Unethical Practices from the Engineering Firm
The liability in this case falls on the engineering firm hired by the hotel owners to
reconstruct the atrium ceiling following its original collapse. After assessing what caused
the original constructional failure, the engineering firm found no structural flaws in the
design or the roof construction. However, after the tragedy that occurred that night and a
number of legal cases, a trial revealed that the engineer had not:
 Examined the new connection (steel-to-steel concrete connectors)
 Calculated the safety and load capacity of the new connections
I am compelled to express concern about how the documentation was handled during the
time of construction. The National Bureau of Standards, which investigated the accident,
found that the building was not properly constructed, used incorrect rod measurements
and did not meet building code regulations. In this case, the accident could have been
avoided if the engineer had used the preliminary documentation, which had the precise
and accurate information for the design of the ceiling. Another mishap that could have
helped prevent this ethical dilemma was the lack of documentation for the final
construction, which exposed the inadequate planning on the engineer’s behalf.
Unethical Practices from Crown Center Redevelopment Corporation
Ethical concerns after the incident also raised questions against the hotel owner. Rather
than addressing the situation in an open manner, the company chose to act secretively by
delaying external investigations. Crown Center’s conduct was also called upon during the
investigation when records from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration were
uncovered. These records showed that during construction a large section of the lobby
roof had caved in. However, these records were only found because inspectors were at
the site looking at an unrelated accident.
A Plan for the Future
The absence and disregard to professionalism and ethics in this case cost people their
lives and those who survived a horrifying memory never to be forgotten. It is my
recommendation that technical documentation is never to be skipped over and/ or kept
hidden.