NTSB Safety Recommendation P-09-004

NTSB safety recommendation P-09-004.

TO THE CLARKE COUNTY BOARD OF SUPERVISORS: Require and document that the Clarke County Central Dispatch emergency 911 personnel receive regular training and participate in regional exercises and drills pertaining to pipeline safety.

Priority: CLASS II

Overall Status: Closed - Unacceptable Action - No Response Received

Issued Date: 2009-10-27

Adopted Date: 2009-10-14

Overall Date Closed: 2013-05-23

Synopsis: On November 1, 2007, at 10:35:02 a.m. central daylight time, a 12-inch-diameter pipeline segment operated by Dixie Pipeline Company (Dixie) was transporting liquid propane at about 1,405 pounds per square inch, gauge (psig), when it ruptured in a rural area near Carmichael, Mississippi. The resulting gas cloud expanded over nearby homes and ignited, creating a large fireball that was heard and seen from miles away. About 10,253 barrels (430,626 gallons) of propane were released. As a result of the ensuing fire, two people were killed and seven people sustained minor injuries. Four houses were destroyed, and several others were damaged. About 71.4 acres of grassland and woodland were burned. Dixie reported that property damage resulting from the accident, including the loss of product, was $3,377,247.

Probable Cause: The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the November 1, 2007, rupture of the liquid propane pipeline operated by Dixie Pipeline Company near Carmichael, Mississippi, was the failure of a weld that caused the pipe to fracture along the longitudinal seam weld, a portion of the upstream girth weld, and portions of the adjacent pipe joints.

Keywords: Firefighting, Public Education (Pipeline), Training and Education

Ntsbnumber: DCA08MP001

Report Number: PAR-09-01

Addressee Name: State of Mississippi, County of Clarke, Board of Supervisors

Addressee Status: Closed - Unacceptable Action - No Response Received

Addressee Date Closed: 2013-05-23

Addressee Organization Type: L-Local Government

Communication Date: 2010-06-30

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: NMC #103430: The NTSB has not received any information on the status of the action taken to implement the recommendation, and would appreciate an update on what has been done to address this important safety issue. The NTSB is vitally interested in knowing whether and how its recommendations are implemented, both to ensure that the traveling public is provided the highest level of safety, and to identify creative solutions that might be shared with others. That is why we monitor the implementation of all of our recommendations. A copy of the NTSB’s October 27, 2009, letter is enclosed for your review. Please address your response to Deborah A. P. Hersman, Chairman. Thank you for your assistance in this matter.

Addressee Organization Type: L-Local Government

Communication Date: 2013-05-23

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: On June 30, 2010, my staff faxed your office a request for information about any action you had taken to implement Safety Recommendation P-09-4. Because we received no response, we sent a second request for the information, in a letter dated March 29, 2011. To date, almost 3 1/2 years after we issued Safety Recommendation P-09-4, we have received no reply from the Board of Supervisors. Accordingly, this recommendation is classified CLOSED—UNACCEPTABLE ACTION/ NO RESPONSE RECEIVED. The NTSB’s safety recommendations are based on comprehensive, impartial analyses of the facts and circumstances of the accidents we investigate. Actions in response to our recommendations are intended to save lives and ensure that the public is provided the highest level of safety. We monitor the implementation of all of our recommendations to ensure public safety and to identify creative solutions that might be shared with others to prevent the recurrence of accidents. Should we receive a timely response from you indicating that the Clarke County Board of Supervisors has acted to address this recommendation, with details of the actions taken, we may reevaluate its classification.

Addressee Organization Type: L-Local Government

Communication Date: 2011-03-29

Communication Type: Official Correspondence

Communication Contents: To date, the NTSB has received no information regarding the Board of Supervisors’ efforts to address Safety Recommendation P-09-4 and would appreciate an update on what, if anything, has been done to address this important safety issue. The NTSB is vitally interested in knowing whether and how its recommendations are implemented, both to ensure that the traveling public is provided the highest level of safety and to identify creative solutions that might be shared with others. That is why we monitor the implementation of all of our recommendations. A copy of the NTSB’s October 27, 2009, letter is enclosed for your review, and the full report of the November 2007 Carmichael, Mississippi, accident (Report Number: PAR-09/01) is available on our website at www.ntsb.gov.