 Texas A & M received national media attention on November 18 , 1999 , when Aggie Bonfire , a ninety @-@ year @-@ old student tradition , collapsed during construction . Twelve enrolled students and alumni died and twenty @-@ seven others were injured . The accident was later attributed to improper design and poor construction practices . The victims ' family members filed six lawsuits against Texas A & M officials , the Aggie Bonfire officials and the university . Half of the defendants settled their portion of the case in 2005 , and a federal appeals court dismissed the remaining lawsuits against the university in 2007 . 
