Provides summary of investigation into 2023 derailment and fire
WASHINGTON (Sept. 24, 2024) — The National Transportation Safety Board 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 illustrated 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. While the final report remains the NTSB’s definitive publication on the derailment, the digest highlights the depth and scope of the 16-month investigation.
Screenshot from East Palestine Illustrated Digest (NTSB graphic by Jennifer Beatty)
The derailment occurred on 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 these 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.
The digest, full report and docket are available on the NTSB's website.
To report an incident/accident or if you are a public safety agency, please call 1-844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 to speak to a Watch Officer at the NTSB Response Operations Center (ROC) in Washington, DC (24/7).
