30 Accidents And Fails That Made People Cringe And Think: “Well, That Looked Expensive” (New Pics)

Most of us have heard the phrase “Accidents happen.” It’s usually to comfort us after a mistake we’ve made or an incident that had unintended consequences. It’s true, accidents really do happen; some of them minor, like spilling tea over a coffee table at a friend’s house, and others more significant, like a spacecraft crash.

Today, we’re presenting you with a list of the latter. We has collected the most noteworthy accidents and situations from the That Looked Expensive subreddit. While we hope that there were as few casualties as possible, we still can’t help thinking: “Heck, that must’ve cost a pretty penny.”

More info: Reddit

#1 Expensive Tip

#2 Souvenir Photo Before We Get Fired

#3 The M Stands For Magnetic

When they hear the word “accident,” many people think of car crashes. Many of the entries on this list are indeed car accidents, yet they’re about the cost of property and damage to material things. The 1.1 million users of the That Looked Expensivesubredditcertainly enjoy a car pileup or two.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), traffic accidents are the most common reason young people (age 5 to 29) pass away. Every year, 1.9 million people are victims of road traffic injuries. Interestingly, more than half are what WHO calls “vulnerable road users,” which includes motorcyclists, cyclists, and pedestrians.

#4 Rare Case

#5 Miint

#6 F150 In The Lake

Aviation accidents are another genre of catastrophe that the members of the subreddit are fans of. The most expensive aviation crash in history is the B-2 Spirit stealth bomber aircraft crash. It was America’s most stealthy bomber, so, how did it end up in flames just moments after takeoff?

Thankfully, there were no casualties; the two pilots ejected themselves in time and only one of them had a spinal injury, eventuallymaking a full recovery. The crash did, however, cost $2B. The cause wasn’t any mechanical fault; it was just Mother Nature. Due to humidity, the plane’s sensors misreported the aircraft’s speed, and the Flight Control System (FCS) initiated a 30-degree climb upwards, guaranteeing a crash.

#7 Sinkhole In Germany Yesterday

#8 When You Spend The Night At A Friend’s House And They Don’t Give You A Blanket

#9 Big Oof

If we’re talking about commercial flights, the title for the most expensive disaster would probably go to the disappearance of the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370. The search efforts alonehave costaround $150 million to date.

To this day, the Flight MH370 disappearance is one of the biggest aviation mysteries in history. While there are manytheoriesout there (some more wild than others), officials think that the most credible ones are that either the plane ran out of fuel, that the pilots lost control of the aircraft, or that one of them was a rogue pilot.

#10 Literal Fire Truck

#11 If You Can Walk Away From A Landing, It’s A Good Landing

#12 30 Inch Water Main Break Caused By Contractor Work

In December of 2024, the efforts to find out what happened to the Malaysia Airlines Flight MH370 once again became the topic of public discourse. The US-based ocean exploration firm Ocean Infinity made a deal with Malaysia’s Transport Ministry to renew the search. It’s a “no find, no fee” arrangement, so the company will only be paid if they find the wreckage.

#13 Oof Size : Venti

#14 Spacex Falcon 9 Booster Tipped Over In Rough Seas While Being Transported Back To Shore

#15 No Passenger Was Harmed In The Making Of This Error

If you think only modern disasters can be this expensive, you’d be wrong. The shipwreck that’s deemed the most costly in all of history happened in 1708. The San José, a ship of the Spanish treasure fleet,sankafter a battle with the British and took with it a hold of gold, silver, jewelry, and emeralds. According to the newest estimates, the treasures inside the ship are worth from $7 billion to $18 billion.

#16 Air France A350 Had An Oopsie

#17 Imagine Rear-Ending A Car Worth Over 1 Million Euros

#18 How To Lose Almost Half A Million In 24 Hours. [oc] Porsche 911 Gt3 Rs Put In A River The Day After It Was Purchased

The San José galleon sank near the shores of Colombia, and the shipwreck was recovered on its coast in 1981. Since then, there has been a fierce battle over who has the right to its treasures: Colombia, the Spanish, South American Indigenous groups, and even an American salvage company tried to claim it.

#19 Ground Vehicle Drives Into The Enormous, Bright Red Port Nacelle Of Virgin Atlantic A350-1000 G-Vdot At Jfk

#20 Big Oof

#21 Hmmm… I Wonder What Happened Here

The Colombian governmentwants to retrieve the wreckageand put it in a museum, an effort that would cost them a little over a million dollars. But archaeologists say that they find the fight over the treasure laughable.

“The treasure of the San José should remain at the bottom of the sea, along with the human remains of the 600 crew members who died there,” Juan Guillermo Martín, a Colombian maritime archaeologist,says. “The treasure is part of the archaeological context, and as such has no commercial value. Its value is strictly scientific.”

#22 Absolutely Shattered

#23 A Rough Day On The Waves

#24 You Crash His Ferrari, What Do You Tell To Your Dad ?

Oil spills can cost a pretty penny for oil giants. The 2010 BP Gulf of Mexico oil spill of the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig is the most expensive to date. Experts estimate that around four million barrels of oilflowedinto the ocean over 87 days. BP will continue to pay for the marine restoration projects up until 2031. In the decade following the spill, BPhas paidwell over $71 billion.

#25 Airplane Eepy

#26 The Francis Scot Key Bridge This Morning

#27 ‘Jack Dorsey’s First Tweet’ Nft Went On Sale For $48m. It Ended With A Top Bid Of Just $280

Probably nothing can top space disasters on their scale of wreckage. Space exploration is, however, one of the most expensive human endeavors. Perhaps the most expensive failed space mission was when the space shuttle Colombiabroke downwhile re-entering Earth in 2003. Adjusted to today’s inflation, the value of the disaster would be $16.2 billion.

#28 One Of The Largest Power Shovels Ever Built Fell Into A Swamp

#29 Ferrari 488 Pista In The River

#30 Not An Expert In The Field But

Has this talk about expensive accidents and disasters got you in the mood to see more, dear Pandas? Don’t fret, we’ve got you! Check out our previous articles about the That Looked Expensive subreddithere,here, andhere. And don’t forget to share the expensive disasters that live in your head rent-free in the comments!

#31 Fire Inspector Accidentally Set Off My Ansul System

#32 18-Wheeler Swimming In Alaska

#33 “What Kind Of Genius Created This?”

#34 Instant Infinity Pool

#35 Tornado Went Through My Workplace And 30,000 Are Without Electricity

#36 $4m Koenigsegg Jesko “Nur” Attack Burns Down In Athens, Greece

#37 Garbage Truck Crashed Into Bridge

#38 The City Started Work On Our Neighbourhood Pond

#39 Lamborghini Wrecked In Crash Just 20 Minutes After Purchase

#40 Imagine Dropping A Weather Satellite On The Shop Floor

#41 Just Bought This Two Months Ago For ~100 Million Smh

#42 Crashed Stealth Bomber

#43 Lift Has Had Better Days

#44 That’s The Taxpayers Money

#45 Plane Lands So Heavily The Landing Gear Comes Through The Floor

#46 Nz Navy Ship Hits A Reef And Catches Fire Off The Coast Of Samoa

#47 Lamborghini Revuelto Goes Up In Flames

#48 It’s Likely Not Affordable

#49 The Remains Of The Superheavy Booster Flown During Starship Flight 4

#50 Some One Forgot To Lower The Dump On The Truck

#51 Should I Change This ?

#52 Dumpster On Roof

#53 The 86 Meter Long Saudi Prince’s Kingdom 5kr, Once Owned By Trump And Used In The Bond Movie “Never Say Never Again”, Crashed Into A Quay In Bizerte, Tunisia