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This report is a sub-report of the PHMSA Significant Pipeline Incidents report. As such, it represents Significant Incidents (A) only over the time period and pipeline system specified.

The data source for this table is the PHMSA Flagged Incident File. (1)

More Pipeline Incidents and Mileage Reports are available.

• All Pipeline Systems
• Hazardous Liquid
• Gas Transmission
• Gas Gathering
• Gas Distribution

National All Pipeline Systems: Significant Incident Details: 1993

Reported Cause of Incident (B)	Number (C)	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
EXTERNAL CORROSION	31	10.5%	2	11	$6,027,518	6.4%
INTERNAL CORROSION	13	4.4%	0	0	$2,418,948	2.5%
Sub Total	44	15.0%	2	11	$8,446,467	9.0%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
OPERATOR/CONTRACTOR EXCAVATION DAMAGE	13	4.4%	0	8	$1,217,487	1.3%
THIRD PARTY EXCAVATION DAMAGE	72	24.5%	9	25	$18,952,229	20.2%
UNSPECIFIED EXCAVATION DAMAGE	3	1.0%	0	0	$14,648,443	15.6%
Sub Total	88	30.0%	9	33	$34,818,161	37.2%
INCORRECT OPERATION
UNSPECIFIED INCORRECT OPERATION	21	7.1%	0	16	$1,860,085	1.9%
Sub Total	21	7.1%	0	16	$1,860,085	1.9%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
UNSPECIFIED PIPE BODY OR SEAM	6	2.0%	0	0	$2,721,408	2.9%
UNSPECIFIED WELD	4	1.3%	0	0	$4,657,739	4.9%
MALFUNCTION OF CONTROL/RELIEF EQUIPMENT	14	4.7%	0	0	$796,063	0.8%
UNSPECIFIED MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE	13	4.4%	0	4	$9,800,050	10.4%
Sub Total	37	12.6%	0	4	$17,975,261	19.2%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
EARTH MOVEMENT	9	3.0%	2	1	$2,489,254	2.6%
TEMPERATURE	2	0.6%	0	3	$497,997	0.5%
UNSPECIFIED NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE	8	2.7%	0	1	$6,987,798	7.4%
Sub Total	19	6.4%	2	5	$9,975,049	10.6%
OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE
FISHING OR MARITIME ACTIVITY	1	0.3%	0	0	$1,439,798	1.5%
UNSPECIFIED OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE	5	1.7%	0	0	$3,193,041	3.4%
Sub Total	6	2.0%	0	0	$4,632,839	4.9%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
MISCELLANEOUS CAUSE	78	26.6%	4	42	$15,755,542	16.8%
Sub Total	78	26.6%	4	42	$15,755,542	16.8%
Totals	293	100.0%	17	111	$93,463,408	100.0%

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• All Hazardous Liquid Systems
• Onshore Only
• Offshore Only

National Hazardous Liquid: Significant Incident Details: 1993

Reported Cause of Incident (B)	Number	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
EXTERNAL CORROSION	19	12.3%	0	0	$3,851,891	9.4%
INTERNAL CORROSION	9	5.8%	0	0	$65,179	0.1%
Sub Total	28	18.1%	0	0	$3,917,070	9.6%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
OPERATOR/CONTRACTOR EXCAVATION DAMAGE	7	4.5%	0	1	$265,434	0.6%
THIRD PARTY EXCAVATION DAMAGE	36	23.3%	0	0	$4,453,185	10.9%
UNSPECIFIED EXCAVATION DAMAGE	3	1.9%	0	0	$14,648,443	36.0%
Sub Total	46	29.8%	0	1	$19,367,063	47.6%
INCORRECT OPERATION
UNSPECIFIED INCORRECT OPERATION	11	7.1%	0	4	$956,367	2.3%
Sub Total	11	7.1%	0	4	$956,367	2.3%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
UNSPECIFIED PIPE BODY OR SEAM	6	3.9%	0	0	$2,721,408	6.7%
UNSPECIFIED WELD	4	2.6%	0	0	$4,657,739	11.4%
MALFUNCTION OF CONTROL/RELIEF EQUIPMENT	14	9.0%	0	0	$796,063	1.9%
Sub Total	24	15.5%	0	0	$8,175,211	20.1%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
EARTH MOVEMENT	1	0.6%	0	0	$13,914	0.0%
UNSPECIFIED NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE	4	2.6%	0	0	$319,573	0.7%
Sub Total	5	3.2%	0	0	$333,488	0.8%
OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE
FISHING OR MARITIME ACTIVITY	1	0.6%	0	0	$1,439,798	3.5%
Sub Total	1	0.6%	0	0	$1,439,798	3.5%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
MISCELLANEOUS CAUSE	39	25.3%	0	5	$6,437,134	15.8%
Sub Total	39	25.3%	0	5	$6,437,134	15.8%
Totals	154	100.0%	0	10	$40,626,133	100.0%

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National Hazardous Liquid Onshore: Significant Incident Details: 1993

Reported Cause of Incident (B)	Number	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
EXTERNAL CORROSION	18	11.6%	0	0	$3,705,422	9.1%
INTERNAL CORROSION	9	5.8%	0	0	$65,179	0.1%
Sub Total	27	17.5%	0	0	$3,770,601	9.2%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
OPERATOR/CONTRACTOR EXCAVATION DAMAGE	7	4.5%	0	1	$265,434	0.6%
THIRD PARTY EXCAVATION DAMAGE	36	23.3%	0	0	$4,453,185	10.9%
UNSPECIFIED EXCAVATION DAMAGE	3	1.9%	0	0	$14,648,443	36.0%
Sub Total	46	29.8%	0	1	$19,367,063	47.6%
INCORRECT OPERATION
UNSPECIFIED INCORRECT OPERATION	11	7.1%	0	4	$956,367	2.3%
Sub Total	11	7.1%	0	4	$956,367	2.3%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
UNSPECIFIED PIPE BODY OR SEAM	6	3.9%	0	0	$2,721,408	6.7%
UNSPECIFIED WELD	4	2.6%	0	0	$4,657,739	11.4%
MALFUNCTION OF CONTROL/RELIEF EQUIPMENT	14	9.0%	0	0	$796,063	1.9%
Sub Total	24	15.5%	0	0	$8,175,211	20.1%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
EARTH MOVEMENT	1	0.6%	0	0	$13,914	0.0%
UNSPECIFIED NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE	4	2.6%	0	0	$319,573	0.7%
Sub Total	5	3.2%	0	0	$333,488	0.8%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
MISCELLANEOUS CAUSE	39	25.3%	0	5	$6,437,134	15.8%
Sub Total	39	25.3%	0	5	$6,437,134	15.8%
Totals	152	98.7%	0	10	$39,039,865	96.1%

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National Hazardous Liquid Offshore: Significant Incident Details: 1993

Reported Cause of Incident (B)	Number	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
EXTERNAL CORROSION	1	0.6%	0	0	$146,469	0.3%
Sub Total	1	0.6%	0	0	$146,469	0.3%
OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE
FISHING OR MARITIME ACTIVITY	1	0.6%	0	0	$1,439,798	3.5%
Sub Total	1	0.6%	0	0	$1,439,798	3.5%
Totals	2	1.3%	0	0	$1,586,267	3.9%

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• All Gas Transmission Systems
• Onshore Only
• Offshore Only

National Gas Transmission: Significant Incident Details: 1993

Reported Cause of Incident (B)	Number	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
EXTERNAL CORROSION	6	12.0%	0	0	$2,044,536	6.4%
INTERNAL CORROSION	4	8.0%	0	0	$2,353,769	7.4%
Sub Total	10	20.0%	0	0	$4,398,306	13.8%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
OPERATOR/CONTRACTOR EXCAVATION DAMAGE	1	2.0%	0	0	$146,469	0.4%
THIRD PARTY EXCAVATION DAMAGE	5	10.0%	0	2	$4,789,562	15.1%
Sub Total	6	12.0%	0	2	$4,936,031	15.5%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
UNSPECIFIED MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE	9	18.0%	0	1	$9,505,646	29.9%
Sub Total	9	18.0%	0	1	$9,505,646	29.9%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
EARTH MOVEMENT	3	6.0%	0	0	$884,677	2.7%
UNSPECIFIED NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE	3	6.0%	0	0	$6,668,224	21.0%
Sub Total	6	12.0%	0	0	$7,552,902	23.8%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
MISCELLANEOUS CAUSE	19	38.0%	1	13	$5,315,388	16.7%
Sub Total	19	38.0%	1	13	$5,315,388	16.7%
Totals	50	100.0%	1	16	$31,708,275	100.0%

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National Gas Transmission Onshore: Significant Incident Details: 1993

Reported Cause of Incident (B)	Number	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
EXTERNAL CORROSION	6	12.0%	0	0	$2,044,536	6.4%
INTERNAL CORROSION	4	8.0%	0	0	$2,353,769	7.4%
Sub Total	10	20.0%	0	0	$4,398,306	13.8%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
OPERATOR/CONTRACTOR EXCAVATION DAMAGE	1	2.0%	0	0	$146,469	0.4%
THIRD PARTY EXCAVATION DAMAGE	3	6.0%	0	2	$395,468	1.2%
Sub Total	4	8.0%	0	2	$541,938	1.7%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
UNSPECIFIED MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE	6	12.0%	0	1	$6,649,485	20.9%
Sub Total	6	12.0%	0	1	$6,649,485	20.9%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
EARTH MOVEMENT	3	6.0%	0	0	$884,677	2.7%
UNSPECIFIED NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE	3	6.0%	0	0	$6,668,224	21.0%
Sub Total	6	12.0%	0	0	$7,552,902	23.8%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
MISCELLANEOUS CAUSE	17	34.0%	1	13	$4,880,373	15.3%
Sub Total	17	34.0%	1	13	$4,880,373	15.3%
Totals	43	86.0%	1	16	$24,023,005	75.7%

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National Gas Transmission Offshore: Significant Incident Details: 1993

Reported Cause of Incident (B)	Number	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
THIRD PARTY EXCAVATION DAMAGE	2	4.0%	0	0	$4,394,093	13.8%
Sub Total	2	4.0%	0	0	$4,394,093	13.8%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
UNSPECIFIED MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE	3	6.0%	0	0	$2,856,160	9.0%
Sub Total	3	6.0%	0	0	$2,856,160	9.0%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
MISCELLANEOUS CAUSE	2	4.0%	0	0	$435,015	1.3%
Sub Total	2	4.0%	0	0	$435,015	1.3%
Totals	7	14.0%	0	0	$7,685,269	24.2%

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National Gas Gathering: Significant Incident Details: 1993

Reported Cause of Incident (B)	Number	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
EXTERNAL CORROSION	1	100.0%	0	1	$0	0.0%
Sub Total	1	100.0%	0	1	$0	0.0%
Totals	1	100.0%	0	1	$0	***.*%

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National Gas Distribution: Significant Incident Details: 1993

Reported Cause of Incident (B)	Number (C)	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
EXTERNAL CORROSION	5	5.6%	2	10	$131,090	0.6%
Sub Total	5	5.6%	2	10	$131,090	0.6%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
OPERATOR/CONTRACTOR EXCAVATION DAMAGE	5	5.6%	0	7	$805,583	3.8%
THIRD PARTY EXCAVATION DAMAGE	31	35.2%	9	23	$9,709,482	45.9%
Sub Total	36	40.9%	9	30	$10,515,066	49.7%
INCORRECT OPERATION
UNSPECIFIED INCORRECT OPERATION	10	11.3%	0	12	$903,718	4.2%
Sub Total	10	11.3%	0	12	$903,718	4.2%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
UNSPECIFIED MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE	4	4.5%	0	3	$294,404	1.3%
Sub Total	4	4.5%	0	3	$294,404	1.3%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
EARTH MOVEMENT	5	5.6%	2	1	$1,590,661	7.5%
TEMPERATURE	2	2.2%	0	3	$497,997	2.3%
UNSPECIFIED NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE	1	1.1%	0	1	$0	0.0%
Sub Total	8	9.0%	2	5	$2,088,659	9.8%
OTHER OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE
UNSPECIFIED OUTSIDE FORCE DAMAGE	5	5.6%	0	0	$3,193,041	15.1%
Sub Total	5	5.6%	0	0	$3,193,041	15.1%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
MISCELLANEOUS CAUSE	20	22.7%	3	24	$4,003,019	18.9%
Sub Total	20	22.7%	3	24	$4,003,019	18.9%
Totals	88	100.0%	16	84	$21,128,999	100.0%

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Notes

1. Significant Incidents are those incidents reported by pipeline operators when any of the following conditions are met: 1) Fatality or injury requiring in-patient hospitalization. 2) $50,000 or more in total costs, measured in 1984 dollars. 3) Highly volatile liquid releases of 5 barrels or more or other liquid releases of 50 barrels or more. 4) Liquid releases resulting in an unintentional fire or explosion. Serious incidents, a subset of Significant Incidents, are incidents which involve a fatality or injury requiring in-patient hospitalization.
2. PHMSA has gathered increasingly targeted incident cause data over time. As such, the available reportable categories of cause (eg: Internal/External Corrosion vs Corrosion in general) have increased over time. This report spans time periods over which the reportable cause categories have changed. The cause categories in this report should be taken as general and not specific for years prior to 2002 for Liquid and Gas Transmission, and prior to 2004 for Gas Distribution.
3. Gas Distribution incidents where fire/explosion was the primary cause of failure, such as a house fire that subsequently resulted in - but was not caused by - a distribution line failure are excluded from 2004 onward. This exclusion has not been applied in years prior to 2004 due to difficulty in identifying these types of events with the older report formats.
4. The costs for incidents prior to 2012 are presented in 2012 dollars. Cost of Gas lost is indexed via the Energy Information Administration, Natural Gas City Gate Prices. All other costs are adjusted via the Bureau of Economic Analysis, Government Printing Office inflation values.
5. For years 2002 and later, property damage is estimated as the sum of all public and private costs reported in the 30-day incident report. For years prior to 2002, accident report forms did not include a breakdown of public and private costs so property damage for these years is the reported total property damage field in the report.

Sources

1. PHMSA Flagged Incidents File - April 30, 2013. Note: Incidents occurring up to 30 days prior the Incident File source date may not appear in these reports due to the 30-day reporting period allowed by PHMSA regulation.

See Pipeline Incidents and Mileage Reports for more pipeline safety reports.