PIPELINE ACCIDENT REPORT, WASHINGTON GAS LIGHT COMPANY, BOWIE, MARYLAND, JUNE 23, 1973

The report describes and analyzes a gas explosion and fire which occurred on June 23, 1973, in Bowie, Maryland. Gas had leaked from a crack in a plastic service line. Three persons died and a fourth was injured. The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the accident was the ignition of gas that had leaked from a stress crack in a plastic service line. The pipe had cracked because an occluded particle had created a stress point and weakened the pipe. Contributing to the accident was the lack of odor in the leaked gas when it reached the houses and the atmosphere. The report contains recommendations concerning leaking gas migration through soils and into buildings, odorant adsorption by soils, use of new materials in piping systems, odorant testing, and plastic pipe.

• Supplemental Notes:
  • Errata sheet inserted.
• Corporate Authors:

  National Transportation Safety Board

  Office of Surface Transportation Safety
  Washington, DC  United States  20594
• Publication Date: 1974-10-24

Media Info

• Pagination: 43 p.

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00082959
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Technical Information Service
• Report/Paper Numbers: NTSB-PAR-74-5
• Files: NTIS
• Created Date: Apr 8 1975 12:00AM