The NTSB has determined that the probable cause of the April 30th 2014 derailment and fire in Lynchburg, VA was a broken rail.
On April 30, 2014, at 1:54 p.m. eastern daylight time, 17 CSX Transportation (CSXT) tank cars on petroleum crude oil unit train K08227 derailed in Lynchburg, Virginia. Three of the derailed cars were partially submerged in the James River. One was breached and released about 29,868 gallons of crude oil into the river, some of which caught fire. (See figure 1.) No injuries to the public or crew were reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was a broken rail caused by a reverse detail fracture with evidence of rolling contact fatigue.
For more details about this accident as well as the full text of the accident report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/RAB1601.aspx
On April 30, 2014, at 1:54 p.m. eastern daylight time, 17 CSX Transportation (CSXT) tank cars on petroleum crude oil unit train K08227 derailed in Lynchburg, Virginia. Three of the derailed cars were partially submerged in the James River. One was breached and released about 29,868 gallons of crude oil into the river, some of which caught fire. (See figure 1.) No injuries to the public or crew were reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of this accident was a broken rail caused by a reverse detail fracture with evidence of rolling contact fatigue.
For more details about this accident as well as the full text of the accident report:
http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/RAB1601.aspx