# NTSB Safety Recommendation P-76-050 **Citation:** P-76-050 **Type / status:** guidance / guidance **Agency:** National Transportation Safety Board **Effective:** 1976-09-15 **Published:** 1976-09-15 REVISE THE COMPANY'S WRITTEN PROCEDURES TO INCLUDE THE MAXIMUM LENGTH OF PLASTIC PIPE TO BE USED WITH COMPRESSION COUPLINGS, THE NUMBER OF FOOT-POUNDS OF TORQUE REQUIRED FOR EACH SIZE OF COMPRESSION COUPLING, A TIME INTERVAL DURING CONSTRUCTION BETWEEN RETORQUING OF COUPLINGS, AND THE TYPE OF STIFFENER TO BE USED WITH EACH BRAND OF COUPLING. ## Document text NTSB safety recommendation P-76-050. REVISE THE COMPANY'S WRITTEN PROCEDURES TO INCLUDE THE MAXIMUM LENGTH OF PLASTIC PIPE TO BE USED WITH COMPRESSION COUPLINGS, THE NUMBER OF FOOT-POUNDS OF TORQUE REQUIRED FOR EACH SIZE OF COMPRESSION COUPLING, A TIME INTERVAL DURING CONSTRUCTION BETWEEN RETORQUING OF COUPLINGS, AND THE TYPE OF STIFFENER TO BE USED WITH EACH BRAND OF COUPLING. Priority: CLASS II Overall Status: Closed - Acceptable Alternate Action Issued Date: 1976-09-15 Adopted Date: 1976-07-07 Overall Date Closed: 1980-08-12 Synopsis: ON JANUARY 10, 1976, GAS WHICH WAS LEAKING INTO THE PATHFINDER HOTEL, IN FREMONT, NEBRASKA, IGNITED. THE GAS WAS LEAKING FROM A 2-INCH PLASTIC PIPE WHICH HAD PULLED OUT OF ITS COMPRESSION COUPLING; THE GAS SEEPED INTO THE HOTEL BECAUSE IT HAD BEEN CAPPED ABOVE BY FROZEN EARTH AND A CONCRETE ROAD SURFACE. THE HOTEL EXPLODED AND FIRE ENSUED; THE EXPLOSION AND FIRE DESTROYED THE HOTEL, DAMAGED NEARBY BUILDINGS, AND BROKE WINDOWS WITHIN A ONE-BLOCK RADIUS. THIRTY-NINE PERSONS WERE INJURED AND 20 PERSONS WERE KILLED. Ntsbnumber: DCA76MP013 Report Number: PAR-76-06 Addressee Name: Nebraska Natural Gas Company Addressee Status: Closed--No Longer Applicable Addressee Date Closed: 1980-08-12 Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry Communication Date: 1978-05-22 Communication Type: Official Correspondence Communication Contents: NEBRASKA NATURAL GAS COMPANY LTR: WE PRESENTLY FOLLOW A POLICY THAT WAS ESTABLISHED WITHIN A FEW DAYS FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT OF CONNECTING PLASTIC DISTRIBUTION MAINS AND SERVICES TO STEEL IN THE FOLLOWING MANNER. WE FUSE A TRANSITION (PLASTIC TO STEEL) FITTING TO THE PLASTIC PIPE. WE THEN WELD THE STEEL TO STEEL OR CONNECT THE STEEL TO STEEL WITH A COMPRESSION COUPLING. IF A COMPRESSION COUPLING IS USED, WE, IN ALL APPLICATIONS, SPOT WELD, ELECTRICALLY, A 3/4" STEEL STRAP FROM THE EXISTING STEEL MAIN TO THE STEEL PORTION OF THE TRANSITION FITTING, THUS PROVIDING A POSITIVE ANCHOR TO ELIMINATE EVERY LIKELIHOOD OF A JOINT SEPARATION. THE JOINT IS CATHODICALLY BONDED AND WRAPPED TO INSURE ITS LONGEVITY. WE HAVE CHECKED 99 PERCENT OF THE CONNECTIONS IN OUR SYSTEM COMPANY-WIDE ON PIPE SIZES ABOVE 1" TO INSURE THAT NO FURTHER PULLOUTS OCCUR. 6/19/80 - NEBRASKA NATURAL GAS COMPANY LTR: AS WAS NOTED IN OUR PREVIOUS COMMUNICATION TO THE BOARD, 5/22/78, THE USE OF COMPRESSION COUPLINGS INCLUDES A WELDED STRAPPING PROCEDURES TO SECURE THE COMPRESSION COUPLING AND ELIMINATE THE POSSIBILITY OF A PULL OUT OWING TO CONTRACTION OF PIPE. THE COMPANY HAS SINCE ADDED TO PROCEDURE THE USE OF THE AMP-FIT FITTING FOR JOINING PIPE IN PLASTIC TO PLASTIC AND PLASTIC TO STEEL APPLICATIONS AND IS ALSO USING THE NORMAC LOCK STIFFENER FOR JOINING 3/4" AND 1" SERVICES TO STEEL MAIN TAPS. THE USE OF THE AMP-FIT AND NORMAC FITTING IS ALSO COVERED IN WRITTEN PROCEDURE AND QUALIFICATION TESTING. Addressee Organization Type: P-Private Industry Communication Date: 1980-08-12 Communication Type: Official Correspondence ## Provenance - Official: Yes - Source: - Source ID: `ntsb-pipeline` - SHA-256: `02232d26ed6ac18b1bec523bb8893431864885f84a64555f75edda5192cd28e8` - Retrieved: 2026-08-20T04:57:24.741Z - Exported: 2026-08-23T22:28:36.612Z - Document slug: `ntsb-recommendation-p-76-050` ### Source metadata ```json { "recordKind": "ntsb_safety_recommendation", "safetyRecommendationNumber": "P-76-050", "recommendationMode": "Pipeline", "topicMode": "Pipeline", "ntsbNumber": "DCA76MP013", "priority": "CLASS II", "overallStatus": "Closed - Acceptable Alternate Action", "overallStatusAcronym": "CAAA", "overallDateClosed": "1980-08-12", "lastModifiedDate": "2016-11-15", "reportNumber": "PAR-76-06", "reportUrl": "https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/DCA76MP013.aspx", "transmittalLetterUrl": "http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-recs/recletters/P76_48_55.pdf", "addressees": [ { "addresseeName": "Nebraska Natural Gas Company", "addresseeStatusAcronym": "CNLA", "addresseeStatus": "Closed--No Longer Applicable", "addresseeDateClosed": "1980-08-12", "addresseeDetails": [ { "addresseeAcronym": null, "addresseeOrganizationType": "P-Private Industry", "isFromNtsb": false, "communicationDate": "1978-05-22", "communicationType": "Official Correspondence", "communicationContents": "NEBRASKA NATURAL GAS COMPANY LTR: WE PRESENTLY FOLLOW A POLICY THAT WAS ESTABLISHED WITHIN A FEW DAYS FOLLOWING THE ACCIDENT OF CONNECTING PLASTIC DISTRIBUTION MAINS AND SERVICES TO STEEL IN THE FOLLOWING MANNER. WE FUSE A TRANSITION (PLASTIC TO STEEL) FITTING TO THE PLASTIC PIPE. WE THEN WELD THE STEEL TO STEEL OR CONNECT THE STEEL TO STEEL WITH A COMPRESSION COUPLING. IF A COMPRESSION COUPLING IS USED, WE, IN ALL APPLICATIONS, SPOT WELD, ELECTRICALLY, A 3/4\" STEEL STRAP FROM THE EXISTING STEEL MAIN TO THE STEEL PORTION OF THE TRANSITION FITTING, THUS PROVIDING A POSITIVE ANCHOR TO ELIMINATE EVERY LIKELIHOOD OF A JOINT SEPARATION. THE JOINT IS CATHODICALLY BONDED AND WRAPPED TO INSURE ITS LONGEVITY. WE HAVE CHECKED 99 PERCENT OF THE CONNECTIONS IN OUR SYSTEM COMPANY-WIDE ON PIPE SIZES ABOVE 1\" TO INSURE THAT NO FURTHER PULLOUTS OCCUR. 6/19/80 - NEBRASKA NATURAL GAS COMPANY LTR: AS WAS NOTED IN OUR PREVIOUS COMMUNICATION TO THE BOARD, 5/22/78, THE USE OF COMPRESSION COUPLINGS INCLUDES A WELDED STRAPPING PROCEDURES TO SECURE THE COMPRESSION COUPLING AND ELIMINATE THE POSSIBILITY OF A PULL OUT OWING TO CONTRACTION OF PIPE. THE COMPANY HAS SINCE ADDED TO PROCEDURE THE USE OF THE AMP-FIT FITTING FOR JOINING PIPE IN PLASTIC TO PLASTIC AND PLASTIC TO STEEL APPLICATIONS AND IS ALSO USING THE NORMAC LOCK STIFFENER FOR JOINING 3/4\" AND 1\" SERVICES TO STEEL MAIN TAPS. THE USE OF THE AMP-FIT AND NORMAC FITTING IS ALSO COVERED IN WRITTEN PROCEDURE AND QUALIFICATION TESTING." }, { "addresseeAcronym": null, "addresseeOrganizationType": "P-Private Industry", "isFromNtsb": true, "communicationDate": "1980-08-12", "communicationType": "Official Correspondence", "communicationContents": "" } ] } ], "jurisdiction": "US" } ```