Three people died and 38 more were injured on Aug. 20, 1966, as Illinois State Fair workers were preparing a catwalk for a planned demonstration by U.S. Army Green Berets. The accident was the worst ever in state fair history.
The Green Berets intended to demonstrate how they were trained to rappel down from helicopters to rescue wounded soldiers in Vietnam. The plan involved stretching a taut rope 100 feet from the catwalk atop the fairgrounds grandstand to the ground.
All those involved believed the catwalk had been welded to the roof deck, according to testimony at a Sangamon County coroner’s inquest held Aug. 25. In fact, the structure was supported only by four angle irons attached to the deck with wood screws.
Link to sangamoncountyhistory.org article