Like the 1986 NASA disaster, investigations of the BP spill are starting to point toward complex and sophisticated technical systems that failed because of overlooked problems, which, in turn, exacerbated the situation in unanticipated ways.

FORBES: The BP Spill: Who's Responsible, Part I

The spill stretched eastward from a point about 16 miles south of the mouth of the Mississippi River to about 94 miles south of Pensacola, Florida.

CNN: Oil spill from rig explosion at 5,000 barrels a day