Fatal pipeline explosion was preventable, says NTSB

Inadequate planning and communication were what led to the 2016 gas pipeline explosion and fire in Alabama that killed two workers and injured four others, according to an investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).

The October 31 blast near Helena occurred when a contractor who was excavating damaged the Colonial Pipeline Company’s (Colonial) 36-inch diameter refined liquid petroleum transmission pipeline, known as Line 1. The damage resulted in a release of gasoline from the pipeline, which ignited and burned for several days. Two excavation crew workers died, and four other workers were injured.