1

Stadium Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin’s

Roof Collapse and Teton Dam Failure
Case Study
Mohammad Alif Abdullah Sani accommodate 50 000 peoples and is named after the reigning
Devendran a/l Jayakanthan Terengganu ruler, Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin was constructed
Mohd Ameer Muhaimin Mohd Fadzil by a South Korean construction firm. During the construction,
Aini Dalilah Kasnoon the stadium consumed amount of RM 300 million and makes
Muhammad Fauzi Osman the stadium the pride of the state at that year. The stadium that
Alif Naim Abd Halim was built in conjunction with SUKMA in May 2016 however
had declared unsafe just a year before it was opened due to the
 one side of the stadium roof collapsed. The roof of the left
Abstract— A year after Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium wing of the stadium that cost around RM 25 million had
was officially opened, the nation was shocked by the collapse of ravaged after the iron frame structure supporting the 300 meter
the stadium’s roof in 2th June 2009. There were no injuries roof destabilized, causing it to fold. The affected area includes
reported but the stadium which had been built in conjunction the main entrance, royal podium and the public seating area.
with SUKMA in MAY 2006 had declared unsafe. Almost 60% of There were no injuries reported but the incident had attracted
the roof structure with a cost of RM 25 million was collapsed
the nation attention and the stadium was immediately declared
including above the royal box at the grand stand. This is the one
of the shocking accident occurred in Malaysia beside the “the unsafe. Even though there was no one inside the stadium
highland tower collapse”. A committee established by Public during the incident, but such incident could easily harm many
Works Department to investigate this incident and based on the people and here the credibility of the responsible consultant
investigation report, the main reason that lead the roof to collapse engineer need to be questioned.
was a faulty design with failure to take into account the support
condition of the roof structure. The committee also noted that the In other hand, there was a similar incident occur also on
management team had failed to conduct a design analysis, May but in 1976 where a dam located at Idaho, United States
considering that the complex architectural shape and large spans was fail to hold the water pressure. The dam, named as Teton
made the structure very sensitive to any movement in the
dam was fully designed and built by one of the eight federal
supporting structures. In May 1975, there was a similar incident
occur where a dam located at Idaho, United States was fail to agencies that has the authorization to construct a dam in US.
hold the water pressure. Designed and built by the authorized The main reason for the dam construction is to control flood
agency, Teton Dam however failed and reported to cause about and irrigation at the certain area as well as to capture unused
14 deaths where 11 was killed directly and the others died from water from the Teton River for agriculture purpose performed
heart attack. The main reason for the dam construction is to by the local farmers. However, a year after the dam finished its
control flood and irrigation at the certain area as well as to construction, it failed that lead to 14 death and James Sherard,
capture unused water from the Teton River for agriculture who participated in post-failure discussion claim this incident
purpose performed by the local farmers. However, local farmers as one of the most important single events in the history of
extract benefits from Teton Dam service for only one year before
dam engineering. Teton Dam failure share the same main
it was failed due to lack of material quality used to build the dam.
From the both two cases, it is crucial for engineers to take more reason as failure of Stadium Sultan Mizan Zainal where the
attention on important parameters in designing part in order to material used in the construction does not meet the
avoid any incident that can harm people life. requirement and lack of quality. In this incident, the quality of
the rock in the surrounding canyon wall is not good enough to
bear the huge pressure.
Index Terms—Stadium Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin; roof
collapse; Teton Dam; failed; design II. OBJECTIVE
The main objectives of this study are:
I. INTRODUCTION  To perform a critical analysis on failure of Stadium
Stadium Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin is a multi-purposed Sultan Mizan Zainal roof
stadium which located at Jalan Engku Omar Kuala  To study and analyse Teton Dam failure incident
Terengganu, Terengganu Malaysia. The stadium which can  To relate and critics about these two cases in term of
professional engineering ethics
 To highlight the lesson that can be extracted from
both case
 2

III. SULTAN MIZAN ZAINAL ROOF COLLAPSE lack quality control and safety measurement. Also, SUKMA
will be held in that stadium causing them fast pace the
A. Plot schedule to finish on time making them do the work while
Stadium Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin was built in the year neglecting the quality control and safety measurement.
2006 and finish in 10th May 2008. It is multi-purpose stadium Based on professional opinion like Ir, Azhar bin Ahmad,
in Kuala Terengganu with capacity up to 50, 000 people Senior Lecturer in School of Civil Engineering in UTM, when
constructed by South Korea construction company. Cost for the construction company construct the roof, the assumption
constructing this stadium is RM 290 million. This stadium was they made on paperwork must same when they are doing it on
name after reigning Terengganu ruler which is Sultan Mizan sites. Meaning that, the company should follow the plan so that
Zainal Abidin. This stadium will be used for SUKMA no problem will occur. Also it is a job of civil engineer to
(Malaysian Games). The architect who design the structure of ensure to the project would not become a failure. Crack on the
this stadium is Raja Datuk Kamarul Bahrin Shah. building is also consider as failure even though the building is
On 2nd June 2009, an undesired event occur which involve not collapse. From safety design perspective, it is
the roof of the stadium collapsed. Almost 60 percent of roof responsibility of consultant engineer to ensure that his design
collapsed on the east wing of the stadium. Even though no one would not go towards failure.
was injured during the incident, total damage estimated around
RM250 million. On 9.00 am, based on the morning worker C. Critics and Lesson Learned
where they are doing some cleaning and maintenance, a huge
There are two main reason for the SMZA roof collapse.
crashing sound was heard. The support of the roof outside of
Firstly, is due to design error while the second reason is due to
the stadium had failed. Luckily, no worker was under the roof
poor management. This incident can be avoided if all parties
when its collapse. However, a vehicle outside the stadium were
have adhered to the rules and regulations. Besides that, as an
damaged by debris.
individual, one should have sticked to their professional ethics.
Four years later on 20th May 2013, the collapsed roof had
The mischief act of certain individuals had violated few codes
been removed and the rest was being dismantled. In 2015, it is
of ethics and laws. The following are the list of code of ethics
partially opened to the public in condition it can only be used
that has been violated under design error:
during the day light as the light were installed to the roof. Base
(a)
on Persatuan Bola Sepak Negeri Terengganu (PBSNT), they
are allocating some money for the renovation in 2019. (b) IEEE Code of Ethics
1. To hold paramount, the safety, health, and welfare of the
public, to strive to comply with ethical design and
sustainable development practices, and to disclose
promptly factors that might endanger the public or the
environment.
7. To seek, accept, and offer honest criticism of technical
work, to acknowledge and correct errors, and to credit
properly the contributions of others.

IEM Code of Ethics

Figure 1: Stadium Sultan Mizan Abdidin collapse 6. Members shall take all responsible steps to inform
B. Analysis themselves, their clients and employers and the
community of the social and environmental consequences
Based on the journal report written by Fahad Ali Gul and
Chauhdry Mehr Ali, the incident occurs due to the design of the actions and projects in which they are involved.
error. It was reported that the design was inadequate and 7. Members shall express opinions, make statements or give
insufficient safety measure was used. In addition, the skill of evidence with fairness and honesty and on the basis of
the construction worker hired were inadequate as the design adequate knowledge.
structure is complex. Defective wielding was found in steel
compound indicates poor workmanships. These ethics emphasize on the safety of publics. The
Besides that, there is not enough support used to handle the engineers should have considered all safety aspects when
weight of the roof itself. Huge gap was made which 30 meters designing the stadium. They should not have taken the critics
wide between last concrete stump and the concrete buttress. In on their design for granted. Instead, they should have taken
addition to that, buckling happen to the inclined pole shows responsibilities to improve and deliver a better project.
that the load exceeds the buckling capacity. The following are the list of code of ethics that has been
Other factor that cause the incident is the condition where violated under poor management:
the strength of the material used must achieve the design
requirement did not pass the preliminary test which cause the IEEE Code of Ethics
mechanical strength of the structure reduce. Poor project 3. To be honest and realistic in stating claims or estimates
management also contribute to this incident because of the based on available data
 3

6. To maintain and improve our technical competence and to the dam. Then, two bulldozers slid resulting banks collapse.
undertake technological tasks for others only if qualified Finally, the crest of the dam collapse and fall in the water.
by training or experience, or after full disclosure of
pertinent limitations

IEM Code of Ethics

3. Members shall offer services, or advise on or undertake
engineering assignments, only in areas of their
competence and shall practice in a careful and diligent
manner

These ethics focuses on the reliability in completing a

project. The engineers should have been honest and realistic in
designing the stadium. One should have assisted colleagues in
their professional development by enforcing the safety
measures. Figure 2: Teton Dam’s failure
Apart from that, there are few laws under the Occupational
Safety and Health Act 1994 that has been breached. For B. Analysis
example, Occupational Safety and Health (Control of 1) Too much reliance on the grout curtain
Industrial Major Accident Hazards) Regulations 1996. The The design of the Teton Dam should including provision to
law enforces the safety features in a project to avoid any prevent any leaks. This is because, any small leaks of the dam
misfortunes. can result of other parts dam leaks. This will slowly make the
There are few precautionary steps that could be taken to dam collapse. Any defective part of the dam should be address
avoid the stadium roof collapse such as line drawing correctly and immediately.
technique, flowcharting and risk benefit analysis. These steps
consider all the possibilities in a project and based on the 2) Inadequate quality of trench fill and silt used in the core.
analysis, the best method is chosen to be implemented. The trench fills below the dam should be well build so that
In a nutshell, accidents in a project is mainly caused by the any water flow from the dam can go through the trench
poor act of an individual. Adhering to the professional code of provided. The quality silt used in the core should be highest
ethics could somehow reduce the number of accidents occur. possible in order to withstand high pressure of the dam.
To further decrease the accidents, precautionary steps should Material chosen for the silt also can contribute to the strength
be taken into consideration throughout the project. of the dam and prevent erosion and cracking.

IV. TETON DAM FAILURE 3) Inadequate provision made for handling leakage.
The gravel and rock surrounding the dam should carry away
A. Plot any leakage water. This is important to make sure there is no
The teton dam was build 305 feet high tall from river. This water slip of the dam occur. However, none of these found in
high is equivalent to 30-storey building. The dam consists of 5 tetom dam.
layers of different material. The mixture of the material will
form of mound of fine silt which is consist of sand, gravel, and 4) Trenches in the canyon walls narrow & steep
cobbles. These 3 mixtures are used to cover silt core. While Trenches in the canyon narrow can result of high-pressure
another 2 substances is earth and rock are used to form water flow from the dam. This can also can lead to cracking,
additional shells. hydraulic fracturing and erosion of the silt used to fill the
In 3 June 1976, there was 2 small seeps observed at the trenches. The trench should be bigger so that the pressure is
downstream. These 2 small seeps resulting released clear reduced.
seepage with less than ¼ cfs. In 5 June 1976 (730 am-8am),
muddy water flowing from the rock in the right abutment about 5) Inadequate instrumentation to monitor conditions in
15 ft above stream bed. Water flow rate about 20-30 cfs. This the dam’s embankment & surrounding canyon walls.
scenario noticed by project supervisors during that time. 5 The dam should be installing a system that can monitor
June 1976 (9.00am), water flow rate had increase with 40-50 condition of the dam. This feature can be used to monitor any
cfs. Besides that, other leaks were found in the right abutment. early cracking and erosion of the dam. Tetom dam had
During this time, supervisor in charge did not aware that the deficiency instrument that can help monitor the dam. This
dam was in danger. resulting no clue can be detected earlier of the tetom dam
In 5 June 1976 (9.30 -10 am), presence of wet spot appeared faced. The problem detected just a few hour before the
on the downstream face (15-20 ft from right abutment). Then, collapse occur.
the spot became flowing seepage & started washing out the
embankment material. At 11am, dozers were sent in an
unsuccessful attempt to fill the resulting eroded area nearby
 4

C. Critics and Lesson Learned

Code of Ethics.
Since the event of Failure of Teton Dam that occurred in Idoha
in 5th June 1976, there are lot of perspective views that has
been point out through investigations that has been made at
Teton Dam. This event not only has given effects to the natural
habitat, but it is also involved with public’s safety that live
near to the Teton Dam.
The failure of Teton Dam has been releasing millions gallon
of water into Snake River [1]. This case has caused 14 deaths
and some damage of infrastructure which cost around $1
billion. In other word, the cost of damage for this dam is very
high. In this section, explanation on code of ethic that involved Figure 3: Quality Management System.
in this case.
It has been responsibility for engineers and architect to Lesson Learned
ensure that the construction of an infrastructure is safe to use There are many lesson that ca be taken from this case where
by making some periodic check at the site and the quality of failure of dam to hold million gallons of water to supply water
work is done well. One of conventional method to make sure and generate electricity for Idoha’s people that live nearby the
the structure is safe and meet specifications that required is Teton Dam.
doing test on the compressive strength of material that provide From what has been described, the moral values that can be
by the supplier. obtained, the design that has been proposed should meet the
There are two standards where engineers may follow these specification based on what the client’s need. The raw material
two standards. The standard that engineers and architects may should be checked first especially the durability and strength
referred are BS EN 13791:2007 [2] and BS 6089:1981[3]. which may differ for different purpose of construction method.
These two standards have provide guidelines for the reason of: Besides, the geographical factors must be take into
 when an existing structure is to be modified or consideration when designing an infrastructure.
redesigned; Furthermore, consultant or engineers that has been tasked to
 to assess structure adequacy when doubt arises about take care of the project should do more supervising on site.
the compressive strength in the structure due to This is because the proper supervise will help worker to get
defective workmanship or the deterioration of concrete inform earlier in order to prevent disaster that may affected the
due to fire or other causes; people who live near to the construction site. They should
follow the guidelines that has established so that the
 when an assessment of the in-situ concrete strength is
unpleasant incident can be avoid in future.
needed during construction;
 to assess structural adequacy in the case of non- Conclusion
conformity of the compressive strength obtained from As a conclusion, engineers must take the moral values on
standard test specimens; what happen to the Teton Dam, where this incident has
 assessment of conformity of the in-situ concrete become a nightmare to the people, who live nearby. Engineers
compressive strength when specified in a specification should know the guidelines of work. They are responsible to
or product standard. ensure the safety of public when doing the projects or
constructions. The safety of public must be prioritize so the
The adoption and implementation of Quality Management benefit will be gain to everyone.
and Environmental Management should be applied in
wherever there is construction occurred in every place. The V. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STADIUM SULTAN MIZAN ZAINAL
adoption of this code such as ISO 9001:2008 and ISO ABIDIN’S ROOF COLLAPSE AND TETOM DAM FAILURE
14001:2004 should give benefits to human beings and can be
In this section, the relationship in term of similarities and
sustain for a long time.
differences between both cases is discussed.
 5

In both of the cases, we can relate that both has similarities

A) Design Specification the cause of the incident was because of inappropriate choice
Sultan Mizan Zainal Teton Dam of materials and also lack quality of supervision or for Teton
Dam’s case; inadequate instrumentation to monitor the
Abidin Stadium condition. In addition, SMZA’s case, the quality of work was
(c) SMZA Stadium is designed
(d) The height is 305 feet high not up to standard and caused the roof to collapse while in
Teton Dam’s case, the geological factors could contribute the
to have two shell-like roofs tall from river to top which dam to fail.
supported by concrete is equivalent to 30-storey
buttress and space trusses building. It consists of 5 C) Effects and Damages
along the roof. At its two layers of different materials.
Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Teton Dam
ends, a concrete buttress at The core of the dam is built
Stadium
each is implemented. by a mound of fine silt. The
 5 workers injured during  Causes flood to few
Between the end of the steel core is about half of the dismantling process towns
column and the buttress there volume of the dam. It is the  Vehicles outside the  Caused 14 deaths
stadium were damaged  Estimated damaged
exists a wide gap spanning compacted in order to make by the debris. between $400mil and
more than 30m. The truss it impervious to the flow of  Half of the seating area, $1bi
main entrance to the  200 families left
consists of tubular and steel water. The silt core was stadium and royal box homeless
ball joints. covered with, sand, gravel were damaged

and cobbles. The layer of

other materials are earth and
rocks and form of additional The effects and damages for both cases has caused a large
impact to some parties. It was not only affect in terms of
shells. money, but lives were affected by the incident.

B) Reasons of Failure
Sultan Mizan Zainal Teton Dam
Abidin Stadium
(e) Inappropriate choice of Too much reliance on the
grout curtain
materials
Design did not have enough
(f) Inadequate quality of trench Figure 4: Damages in SMZA collapse
support
fill and silt used in the core
Quality was not up to
(g) Inadequate provision made
standard
for handling leakage
(h) Change of design in last
(i) Trenches in the canyon
minute walls narrow and steep Figure 5: Damages in Teton Dam’s failure causes flood to
Poor management (j) Poor management few towns
 Incompetent staff were
 Inadequate D) Code of Ethics
involved
instrumentation to
monitor conditions in There are two standards where engineers need to follow as
the dam’s embankment mentioned in C in Chapter III and C in Chapter IV It can be
and surrounding canyon said that the parties involved might have breached the code of
walls ethics as the code emphasizes on the safety of the publics. The
engineer should have considered all the safety aspects and all
possible outcomes when designing and planning a project. The
 6

accident that happened probably because of the poor act of an Construction in Malaysia: A Fast Disappearing and
individual. If the party involved followed all the guidelines, Endangered Commodity? Jurutera, 34-36
the situation can be avoided. [3] Yazmin SAHOL HAMID, Peter DISNEY, & Gerard
A.R. PARKE. (13th september 2014). Progressive
E) Critics Collapse of Double-Layer Space Trusses. Research
In Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin’s case, the failure can be Gate
avoided if the engineers and workers comply with the ethical [4] Fahad Ali Gul, & Chauhdry Mehr Ali. (october
guidelines. More design proposals should be considered and 2016). Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin Stadium Roof
determine whether or not it is within the capacities of the firm Collapse, Kuala Terengganu, Malaysia (Lack of
constructing the structure. They should also have not done the Safety Issues). EPH - International Journal of
Mathematics and Statistics, 2(10), 3rd ser., 14-23.
parts they are not competent and outsource it to specialty
[5] Case Study: Teton Dam (Idaho, 1975)
companies. The project should be halted and alterations should
https://damfailures.org/case-study/teton-dam-idaho-
be made as soon as any sign of weakness is observed during 1976/
the project as engineers, we should also use suitable material [6] Engineering Ethics, Charles B. Fleddermann 4th
instead of the ones that didn’t comply with the design need. Edition, Teton Dam
Last but not least, quality inspection should be done from time [7] The biggest dam failure in History – the Teton Dam
to time to ensure the standards are followed and to prevent http://www.rocdoctravel.com/2015/12/coming-soon-
accidents. teton-dam.html
[8] Teton Basin Project, Eric A. Stene, Bureau of
In Teton Dam’s case, the dam was located in an area with Reclamation (1996)
highly permeable foundation materials. During the https://www.usbr.gov/pn/snakeriver/dams/uppersnake
investigation, it was discovered that proper treatment of such /teton/projhistory.pdf
foundation material was not implemented. The dam’s [9] BS EN 13791:2007, Assessment of in-situ
designers did not take the site specific geological conditions compressive strength in structures and precast
into account when developing the structure. Lack of concrete
communication between the designers and engineers about the [10] [3] BS 6089: 1981, Guide to assessment of concrete
proper preparation of the dam foundation is another factor. As strength in existing structure.
a result, not only foundation treated inadequately, the [11] Charles B Fleddermann (2012), Engineering Ethics
treatment was also inconsistent. We think that 24-hour 4th Edtition. Retrieved by
monitoring of the dam and reservoir during first filling may https://www.pearson.com/us/higher-
also contributed to the lessening of downstream consequences. education/program/Fleddermann-Engineering-Ethics-
Besides, lack of external review of project plans and 4th-Edition/PGM182443.html
specifications that may have discovered some of the design [12] BS EN 13791:2007, Assessment of in-situ
deficiencies. compressive strength in structures and precast
concrete
VI. CONCLUSION [13] BS 6089: 1981, Guide to assessment of concrete
In conclusion, even though both of the cases is not strength in existing structure.
similar in term of design specification, but the root cause of
the incident is the same; the engineers and designers. These
issues can be avoided if the parties involved comply with the
ethical guidelines and prioritize the public safety instead of
individual importance. The parties involved should have been
more responsible in making decision and took into account
every aspect involved very seriously as it affected many lives.
We also think that all parties involved should communicated
well with each other and be honest about their opinions or
professional judgements. As an engineer, we must be
responsible and put aside our individual importance as every
decision we make will cause huge consequences in the future.

REFERENCES
[1] Hatzikiriakos, A. (1st march 2013). L 2E APSC 150
Failure of Sultan Mizan Zainal Abidin (SULTAN)
Stadium Roof. Interdepartmental Memorandum
[2] Ir Assoc Prof Dr Jeffrey CL Chiang. (2010,
November). Quality Engineering Design and