NTSB issues illustrated digest of East Palestine investigation

The National Transportation Safety Board has released an illustrated digest of its investigation into the 2023 derailment of a Norfolk Southern Railway freight train carrying hazardous materials in East Palestine, Ohio.

The digest serves as a companion to the NTSB’s 201-page final report, using photos and graphics to illustrate how and why the derailment occurred as well as explaining NTSB safety recommendations to prevent similar accidents in the future, NTSB officials said in a press release.

While the final report, issued in June, remains the NTSB’s definitive publication on the derailment, the digest highlights the depth and scope of the 16-month investigation, they said.

The derailment occurred Feb. 3, 2023, shortly after a hot bearing detector broadcast a critical alarm about a wheel bearing’s temperature. The derailed equipment included 11 tank cars carrying hazardous materials. Three of those hazardous materials tank cars sustained mechanical breaches during the derailment and released flammable or combustible materials; five others released flammable gases as a result of fire exposure or deliberate breaching with explosives to perform a vent and burn procedure.

To view the new digest click here; the full report is available can be read here.