Eight NTSB investigators are headed to Dallas to begin an investigation into the fatal May 28 explosion.
DALLAS — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the May 28 natural gas-fueled explosion that leveled an apartment building in Oak Cliff.
The explosion killed at least three people and injured multiple others at an apartment building at the intersection of Patton Avenue and East 9th Street.
Preliminary details indicate a contractor reportedly damaged an Atmos Energy Corporation’s underground natural gas pipeline, NTSB officials said in an emailed statement.
A team of eight investigators will begin documenting the scene and examine the pipeline and equipment involved.
They will investigate three primary areas: human factors, the pipeline system and the operating environment, officials said.
Investigators also provided this list of the information and records they’ll gather:
- Human performance data relevant to the accident and response
- Operator qualification and training records
- Witness statements
- Pipeline operating practices and procedures
- Pipeline system maps and historical records
- Relevant pipeline pressures before and during the accident
- Other operational data, such as from the SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system
- Pipeline maintenance records
- Pipeline integrity management plans/records
- Pipeline Safety Management System plan/records
- Specific, as-found location of pipeline facilities and nearby structures
- Local environmental conditions including soil conditions for buried pipelines
- Extent and path of released gas or hazardous liquid migration and/or transport
- Weather forecasts and weather around the time of the accident
- Any available surveillance video, including from doorbell cameras
Witnesses or those who may have surveillance footage of the accident are encouraged to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.
The agency does not have a role in identifying victims or the extent and number of injuries caused by the explosion. That is being handled by local authorities, officials said.
A final accident investigation report is expected from the agency in 1-2 years.