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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 Filtered Incident Files. (1) (2) (3)

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: 1997

Reported Cause of Incident (C)	Number (B)	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS	59	22.1%	1	4	$37,315,553	37.9%
Sub Total	59	22.1%	1	4	$37,315,553	37.9%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS	72	26.9%	6	22	$28,763,340	29.2%
Sub Total	72	26.9%	6	22	$28,763,340	29.2%
INCORRECT OPERATION
VARIOUS	13	4.8%	0	3	$1,662,756	1.6%
Sub Total	13	4.8%	0	3	$1,662,756	1.6%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
VARIOUS	27	10.1%	1	15	$4,890,810	4.9%
Sub Total	27	10.1%	1	15	$4,890,810	4.9%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
VARIOUS	18	6.7%	0	4	$4,061,741	4.1%
Sub Total	18	6.7%	0	4	$4,061,741	4.1%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
VARIOUS	78	29.2%	2	29	$21,710,037	22.0%
Sub Total	78	29.2%	2	29	$21,710,037	22.0%
Totals	267	100.0%	10	77	$98,404,240	100.0%

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• All Hazardous Liquid Systems
• Onshore Only
• Offshore Only

National Hazardous Liquid: Significant Incident Details: 1997

Reported Cause of Incident (C)	Number	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS	46	28.4%	0	0	$34,711,742	49.6%
Sub Total	46	28.4%	0	0	$34,711,742	49.6%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS	36	22.2%	0	4	$17,265,396	24.6%
Sub Total	36	22.2%	0	4	$17,265,396	24.6%
INCORRECT OPERATION
VARIOUS	10	6.1%	0	0	$1,662,756	2.3%
Sub Total	10	6.1%	0	0	$1,662,756	2.3%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
VARIOUS	20	12.3%	0	0	$3,195,434	4.5%
Sub Total	20	12.3%	0	0	$3,195,434	4.5%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
VARIOUS	4	2.4%	0	0	$1,822,094	2.6%
Sub Total	4	2.4%	0	0	$1,822,094	2.6%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
VARIOUS	46	28.4%	0	1	$11,276,776	16.1%
Sub Total	46	28.4%	0	1	$11,276,776	16.1%
Totals	162	100.0%	0	5	$69,934,201	100.0%

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National Hazardous Liquid Onshore: Significant Incident Details: 1997

Reported Cause of Incident (C)	Number	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS	44	27.1%	0	0	$34,235,194	48.9%
Sub Total	44	27.1%	0	0	$34,235,194	48.9%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS	33	20.3%	0	4	$8,944,923	12.7%
Sub Total	33	20.3%	0	4	$8,944,923	12.7%
INCORRECT OPERATION
VARIOUS	10	6.1%	0	0	$1,662,756	2.3%
Sub Total	10	6.1%	0	0	$1,662,756	2.3%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
VARIOUS	19	11.7%	0	0	$2,558,338	3.6%
Sub Total	19	11.7%	0	0	$2,558,338	3.6%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
VARIOUS	4	2.4%	0	0	$1,822,094	2.6%
Sub Total	4	2.4%	0	0	$1,822,094	2.6%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
VARIOUS	43	26.5%	0	1	$4,396,140	6.2%
Sub Total	43	26.5%	0	1	$4,396,140	6.2%
Totals	153	94.4%	0	5	$53,619,448	76.6%

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National Hazardous Liquid Offshore: Significant Incident Details: 1997

Reported Cause of Incident (C)	Number	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS	2	1.2%	0	0	$476,547	0.6%
Sub Total	2	1.2%	0	0	$476,547	0.6%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS	3	1.8%	0	0	$8,320,472	11.9%
Sub Total	3	1.8%	0	0	$8,320,472	11.9%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
VARIOUS	1	0.6%	0	0	$637,095	0.9%
Sub Total	1	0.6%	0	0	$637,095	0.9%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
VARIOUS	3	1.8%	0	0	$6,880,636	9.8%
Sub Total	3	1.8%	0	0	$6,880,636	9.8%
Totals	9	5.5%	0	0	$16,314,752	23.3%

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• All Gas Transmission Systems
• Onshore Only
• Offshore Only

National Gas Transmission: Significant Incident Details: 1997

Reported Cause of Incident (C)	Number	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS	9	27.2%	0	0	$2,240,666	16.7%
Sub Total	9	27.2%	0	0	$2,240,666	16.7%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS	11	33.3%	1	4	$3,561,003	26.5%
Sub Total	11	33.3%	1	4	$3,561,003	26.5%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
VARIOUS	3	9.0%	0	0	$1,228,320	9.1%
Sub Total	3	9.0%	0	0	$1,228,320	9.1%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
VARIOUS	4	12.1%	0	0	$1,127,659	8.4%
Sub Total	4	12.1%	0	0	$1,127,659	8.4%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
VARIOUS	6	18.1%	0	1	$5,249,848	39.1%
Sub Total	6	18.1%	0	1	$5,249,848	39.1%
Totals	33	100.0%	1	5	$13,407,499	100.0%

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National Gas Transmission Onshore: Significant Incident Details: 1997

Reported Cause of Incident (C)	Number	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS	6	18.1%	0	0	$1,667,280	12.4%
Sub Total	6	18.1%	0	0	$1,667,280	12.4%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS	8	24.2%	1	4	$2,318,666	17.2%
Sub Total	8	24.2%	1	4	$2,318,666	17.2%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
VARIOUS	3	9.0%	0	0	$1,228,320	9.1%
Sub Total	3	9.0%	0	0	$1,228,320	9.1%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
VARIOUS	3	9.0%	0	0	$1,032,095	7.7%
Sub Total	3	9.0%	0	0	$1,032,095	7.7%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
VARIOUS	6	18.1%	0	1	$5,249,848	39.1%
Sub Total	6	18.1%	0	1	$5,249,848	39.1%
Totals	26	78.7%	1	5	$11,496,211	85.7%

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National Gas Transmission Offshore: Significant Incident Details: 1997

Reported Cause of Incident (C)	Number	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS	3	9.0%	0	0	$573,386	4.2%
Sub Total	3	9.0%	0	0	$573,386	4.2%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS	3	9.0%	0	0	$1,242,337	9.2%
Sub Total	3	9.0%	0	0	$1,242,337	9.2%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
VARIOUS	1	3.0%	0	0	$95,564	0.7%
Sub Total	1	3.0%	0	0	$95,564	0.7%
Totals	7	21.2%	0	0	$1,911,287	14.2%

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National Gas Gathering: Significant Incident Details: 1997

Reported Cause of Incident (C)	Number	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS	1	33.3%	0	0	$165,644	30.9%
Sub Total	1	33.3%	0	0	$165,644	30.9%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS	1	33.3%	0	0	$254,838	47.6%
Sub Total	1	33.3%	0	0	$254,838	47.6%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
VARIOUS	1	33.3%	0	0	$114,677	21.4%
Sub Total	1	33.3%	0	0	$114,677	21.4%
Totals	3	100.0%	0	0	$535,160	100.0%

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National Gas Distribution: Significant Incident Details: 1997

Reported Cause of Incident (C)	Number (B)	%	Fatalities	Injuries	Property Damage (D) (E)	% of Property Damage
CORROSION
VARIOUS	3	4.3%	1	4	$197,499	1.3%
Sub Total	3	4.3%	1	4	$197,499	1.3%
EXCAVATION DAMAGE
VARIOUS	24	34.7%	5	14	$7,682,102	52.8%
Sub Total	24	34.7%	5	14	$7,682,102	52.8%
INCORRECT OPERATION
VARIOUS	3	4.3%	0	3	$0	0.0%
Sub Total	3	4.3%	0	3	$0	0.0%
MAT'L/WELD/EQUIP FAILURE
VARIOUS	3	4.3%	1	15	$352,377	2.4%
Sub Total	3	4.3%	1	15	$352,377	2.4%
NATURAL FORCE DAMAGE
VARIOUS	10	14.4%	0	4	$1,111,987	7.6%
Sub Total	10	14.4%	0	4	$1,111,987	7.6%
ALL OTHER CAUSES
VARIOUS	26	37.6%	2	27	$5,183,412	35.6%
Sub Total	26	37.6%	2	27	$5,183,412	35.6%
Totals	69	100.0%	9	67	$14,527,379	100.0%

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Notes

1. Significant Incidents are those incidents reported by pipeline operators with 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. Note: Significant Incidents include all Serious Incidents. Unless otherwise noted, any counts of Significant Incidents also include Serious Incidents.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. The costs for incidents prior to 2008 are presented in 2008 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. All costs prior to 2008 are expressed in 2008 dollars.
6. Does not include 1,851 injuries that required medical treatment reported for the October, 1994 accidents that were caused by severe flooding near Houston, Texas.

Sources

1. PHMSA Hazardous Liquid Flagged Incidents File - October 14, 2009
2. PHMSA Gas Transmission Flagged Incidents File - October 14, 2009
3. PHMSA Gas Distribution Flagged Incidents File - October 14, 2009

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