NTSB Safety Recommendation Letter P-76-061 through P-76-062

Page 1Official PDFNATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD WASHINGTON, D.C. ISSUED: September 1 7 , 1976 M r . Frank N. Ikard President American Petroleum 2101 L S t r e e t , N.W. Washington, D. C. 20037 I n s t i t u t e S A F E T Y REC.OMMENDAT I O N (S) P-76-61 throuqh P-76-62 About 1:51 a.m. on August 2 , 1975,an 8-inch p i p e l i n e which w a s owned by the Sun Pipe Line Company ruptured i n Romulus, Michigan. Propane escaped from the rupture, sprayed i n t o the a i r , vaporized,and i g n i t e d ; flames 500 f e e t high engulfed a 600-foot-diameter a r e a , de- stroyed four houses and damaged three others, burned 1 2 vehicles, and conswed 2,389 b a r r e l s (100,338 gallons) of propane. Nine persons were injured a s a r e s u l t of t h i s accident. A/ A valve a t the terminal had been closed a g a i n s t the pipeline stream and caused a n abnormally high pressure t o build up i n the pipe a t the leak site. Surface cracks i n t h e 8-inch pipe, which had been dented and gouged previously by outside forces, propagated u n t i l f a i l u r e occurred. The damage had been undetected and unreported" Although the pump s t a t i o n had been shut down automatically by low-flow controls, the pump was s t a r t e d again manually without clear- ance, and pumped an additional amount of propane out a t the leak s i t e . Therefore, the National Transportation Safety Board recommends t h a t the American Petroleum I n s t i t u t e : Advise its m e m b e r companies t h a t operate s i m i l a r pipeline f a c i l i t i e s t o reassess t h e i r s t a t i o n and terminal operating procedures i n l i g h t of t h i s ac- cident. (P-76-61) (Class 11, P r i o r i t y Followup) - 1/ For more d e t a i l e d information on t h i s accident, read "Pipeline Accident Report -- Sun Pipe Line Company, Rupture of 8-inch Pipeline, Romulus, Michigan, August 2 , 1975." NTSB-PAR-76-7. 1869#

Page 2and TODD, Chairman, BAILEY, Vice Chairman, McADAMS, HOGUE, ILALEY, Members, concurred i n t h e above recommendations. By: Webster B. Todd, J#. Chairman NATIONAL TRANSPORrA'IION SAFETY BOARD WASHINGTON. D C 20594 OFFlClAL DUSINESS PENALTY FOR PRIVATE USE. 1300 P-76-61 - P-76-62#