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2/23/2023
The National Transportation Safety Board today issued its preliminary report of the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern Railway train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio.
An overheated wheel bearing remains a focus of the investigation, according to the report. Last week, the NTSB said an overheated wheel bearing may have been a cause in the derailment.
Thirty-eight rail cars of the eastbound, general merchandise train derailed at 8:54 p.m. local time. The derailed cars included 11 tank cars carrying hazardous materials that subsequently ignited and fueled fires that damaged another 12 non-derailed cars.
There were no reported fatalities or injuries.
The train consist included 20 placarded hazardous materials tank cars transporting combustible liquids, flammable liquids, and flammable gas, including vinyl chloride. The train was traveling about 47 mph at the time of the derailment, which was less than the authorized speed of 50 mph.
The train was operating with a dynamic brake application as the train passed a wayside defect detector on the east side of Palestine. The hot bearing detector (HBD) transmitted a critical audible alarm message instructing the crew to slow and stop the train to inspect a hot axle. The train engineer increased the dynamic brake application to further slow and stop the train. During this deceleration, an automatic emergency brake application initiated, and the train came to a stop.
NTSB investigators noted that when the train passed three HBD detectors on its route, a wheel bearing from the 23rd rail car continued to increase in temperature, eventually overheating. After the train stopped, the crew observed fire and smoke and notified a dispatcher of a possible derailment.
While on scene, NTSB investigators examined railroad equipment and track conditions; reviewed data from the signal system, wayside defect detectors, local surveillance cameras, and the lead locomotive’s event recorder and forward-facing and inward-facing image recorders; and completed interviews.
The investigators identified and examined the first rail car to derail, the 23rd rail car in the consist. Surveillance video from a local residence showed the wheel bearing in the final stage of overheat failure moments before the derailment.
The wheel bearing and affected wheelset have been collected as evidence. The vinyl chloride tank car top fittings, including the relief valves, were also removed and examined by the NTSB on scene. The top fittings will be shipped to Texas for testing.
The hazardous material tank cars have been decontaminated. NTSB investigators returned to Ohio Feb. 21 to examine each hazardous material tank car, document damage and secure evidence for laboratory analysis.
The ongoing investigation will focus on the wheelset and bearing; tank car design and derailment damage; a review of the accident response, including the venting and burning of the vinyl chloride; rail-car design and maintenance procedures and practices; NS use of wayside defect detectors; and NS rail-car inspection practices.
The full report can be downloaded here.