NTSB to Announce Cause of San Bruno

The cause of last year's San Bruno explosion should be known Tuesday

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will release the final report of its investigation into last year's deadly pipeline explosion in San Bruno in Washington, D.C. Tuesday.

San Bruno Mayor Jim Ruane, City Manager Connie Jackson and other city officials traveled to the Capitol to attend the meeting.

On September 9, 2010, a natural gas pipeline ruptured. It killed 8 people and destroyed 38 homes.

The purpose of the meeting is to determine the probable cause of the explosion and to consider proposed safety recommendations. The presentation will also cover topics including what caused the  pipeline to rupture, the emergency response, and the human toll of the tragedy.

You will be able to watch the proceedings at this link.

On Monday, NTSB agency chairwoman Deborah Hersman briefed reporters ahead of the hearing and showed them the actual section of the pipe that exploded in San Bruno.

She said the seam weld that ruptured was so faulty it wouldn't have met 1956 industry standards.

She pointed out that the sections of the pipe, known as pups, didn't match other sections of the pipe on the same line.

"We've talked about them as mongrels because we don't know what their pedigree is," Hersman said.

Hersman said the NTSB fears there could be other such "pups" elsewhere in the system and said they have an aggressive plan to inspect the entire system in the Bay Area and across the country to search for similar problems.

PG&E has promised to run high-pressure water through more than 100 miles of its older pipelines this year. Those tests have already begun.
 

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