# NTSB Safety Recommendation P-99-005

**Citation:** P-99-005  
**Type / status:** guidance / guidance  
**Agency:** National Transportation Safety Board  
**Effective:** 1999-04-28  
**Published:** 1999-04-28

THE NTSB RECOMMENDS THAT THE INTERSTATE NATURAL GAS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA: INFORM YOUR MEMBERS OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE 7/21/97, PIPELINE RUPTURE AND FIRE IN INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, AND URGE THEM TO INCLUDE IN THEIR DAMAGE PREVENTION PROGRAMS ACTIONS TO PROTECT THEIR EXISTING UNDERGROUND FACILITIES FROM DAMAGE WHEN DIRECTIONAL DRILLING OPERATIONS ARE PERFORMED IN PROXIMITY TO THOSE FACILITIES.

## Document text

NTSB safety recommendation P-99-005.

THE NTSB RECOMMENDS THAT THE INTERSTATE NATURAL GAS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA: INFORM YOUR MEMBERS OF THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE 7/21/97, PIPELINE RUPTURE AND FIRE IN INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, AND URGE THEM TO INCLUDE IN THEIR DAMAGE PREVENTION PROGRAMS ACTIONS TO PROTECT THEIR EXISTING UNDERGROUND FACILITIES FROM DAMAGE WHEN DIRECTIONAL DRILLING OPERATIONS ARE PERFORMED IN PROXIMITY TO THOSE FACILITIES.

Priority: CLASS II

Overall Status: Closed - Unacceptable Action - No Response Received

Issued Date: 1999-04-28

Adopted Date: 1999-04-20

Overall Date Closed: 2001-04-05

Synopsis: ABOUT 2:33 P.M. ON 7/21/97, A 20-INCH-DIAMETER STEEL NATURAL GAS TRANSMISSION PIPELINE OWNED AND OPERATED BY CITIZENS GAS & COKE UTILITY COMPANY (CITIZENS GAS) RUPTURED AND RELEASED NATURAL GAS NEAR AN INTERSECTION ADJOINING THE CHARTER POINTE SUBDIVISION IN INDIANAPOLIS, IN. THE GAS IGNITED AND BURNED, KILLING ONE RESIDENT AND INJURING ANOTHER. ABOUT 75 RESIDENTS REQUIRED TEMPORARY SHELTER. SIX HOMES WERE DESTROYED, AND ABOUT 65 OTHERS SUSTAINED DAMAGE SIGNIFICANT ENOUGH TO BE DOCUMENTED BY THE LOCAL INVESTIGATION TEAM.

Probable Cause: The National Transportation Safety Board determined that the probable cause of this accident was the failure of Citizens Gas and Miller to have adequate controls in place to ensure that directional drilling operations carried out in the proximity of existing underground facilities would not cause damage to those facilities.

Ntsbnumber: DCA97FP005

Report Number: PAB-99-02

Addressee Name: Interstate Natural Gas Association of America

Addressee Status: Closed - Unacceptable Action - No Response Received

Addressee Date Closed: 2001-04-05

Addressee Acronym: INGAA

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 2000-08-08

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: TO DATE THE SAFETY BOARD HAS HAD NO RESPONSE FROM INGAA REGARDING P-99-5, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE LEARNING WHAT ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN TO IMPLEMENT THIS RECOMMENDATION.

Addressee Acronym: INGAA

Addressee Organization Type: A-Associations

Communication Date: 2001-04-05

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: Because the Safety Board has never received a response from INGAA on this issue, Safety Recommendation P-99-5 is classified “Closed--Unacceptable Action, No Response Received.”

## Provenance

- Official: Yes
- Source: <https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-main-public/sr-details/P-99-005>
- Source ID: `ntsb-pipeline`
- SHA-256: `26595e24e500f717a081fb27fddae852a40b1c89e44bdeb6e4dd7968afac517d`
- Retrieved: 2026-08-20T04:57:24.741Z
- Exported: 2026-08-23T12:25:40.536Z
- Document slug: `ntsb-recommendation-p-99-005`

### Source metadata

```json
{
  "recordKind": "ntsb_safety_recommendation",
  "safetyRecommendationNumber": "P-99-005",
  "recommendationMode": "Pipeline",
  "topicMode": "Pipeline",
  "ntsbNumber": "DCA97FP005",
  "priority": "CLASS II",
  "overallStatus": "Closed - Unacceptable Action - No Response Received",
  "overallStatusAcronym": "CUAN",
  "overallDateClosed": "2001-04-05",
  "lastModifiedDate": "2016-11-15",
  "reportNumber": "PAB-99-02",
  "reportUrl": "https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/DCA97FP005.aspx",
  "transmittalLetterUrl": "http://www.ntsb.gov/safety/safety-recs/recletters/P99_5.pdf",
  "addressees": [
    {
      "addresseeName": "Interstate Natural Gas Association of America",
      "addresseeStatusAcronym": "CUAN",
      "addresseeStatus": "Closed - Unacceptable Action - No Response Received",
      "addresseeDateClosed": "2001-04-05",
      "addresseeDetails": [
        {
          "addresseeAcronym": "INGAA",
          "addresseeOrganizationType": "A-Associations",
          "isFromNtsb": true,
          "communicationDate": "2000-08-08",
          "communicationType": "Official Correspondence",
          "communicationContents": "TO DATE THE SAFETY BOARD HAS HAD NO RESPONSE FROM INGAA REGARDING P-99-5, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE LEARNING WHAT ACTION HAS BEEN TAKEN TO IMPLEMENT THIS RECOMMENDATION."
        },
        {
          "addresseeAcronym": "INGAA",
          "addresseeOrganizationType": "A-Associations",
          "isFromNtsb": true,
          "communicationDate": "2001-04-05",
          "communicationType": "Official Correspondence",
          "communicationContents": "Because the Safety Board has never received a response from INGAA on this issue, Safety Recommendation P-99-5 is classified “Closed--Unacceptable Action, No Response Received.”"
        }
      ]
    }
  ],
  "jurisdiction": "US"
}
```