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************************************************************
NTSB PRESS RELEASE ************************************************************ National
Transportation Safety Board Washington, DC
20594 FOR IMMEDIATE
RELEASE: July 16, 2010 SB-10-28 ************************************************************ NTSB TO HOLD
PUBLIC HEARING ON THE ROLLOVER AND FIRE OF A CARGO TANK
VEHICLE IN INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA ************************************************************ The National
Transportation Safety Board will hold a public hearing on the
rollover and fire of a cargo tank vehicle that occurred on
Interstate 69 Southbound, Indianapolis, Indiana. The
two-day hearing will begin at 9 a.m. on August 3, 2010, at the
NTSB's Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L'Enfant Plaza,
S.W., Washington, D.C. On Thursday,
October 22, 2009, at 10:38 a.m., a 2006 International
truck tractor in combination with a 11,600- gallon cargo tank
semi-trailer carrying liquefied petroleum gas struck a
guardrail while traveling south on Interstate 69 (I-69). The
cargo tank rolled over the guardrail and slid on its right side
into the bridge abutment and pillar of the Interstate 465
(I-465) southbound overpass. The tractor separated from
the vehicle and rolled onto its right side and caught fire.
The front of the cargo tank sustained a breach, resulting
in the release of liquefied petroleum gas, which vaporized
and ignited. The ensuing fires involved eight other
vehicles on the I-69 semi-direct connection ramp to I-465 and the
I-465 overpasses. As a result of
the rollover accident and subsequent fires, the driver of the
cargo tank vehicle and a passenger vehicle driver on I-69
received serious injuries. The occupants of three vehicles on
the I-465 overpass received minor injuries from the fires. The hearing will
be chaired by NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman.
"The hearing is the Safety Board's opportunity to gather additional
facts and information for the investigation of
this accident," said Hersman. "Cargo tank vehicles account
for 31 percent of all fatal commercial truck rollovers.
Not only is the Safety Board concerned about this high
fatality rate, but the significant additional danger
to people and the environment that can result from the
release of hazardous materials. In this particular case,
the rollover resulted in significant structural damage
to the highway and other vehicles." The hearing will
be structured as a series of topical panels on issues the
investigative team is examining related to the accident. For
each topic there will be an expert panel made up of witnesses,
a technical panel consisting of Board staff, and a
panel consisting of parties to the hearing who will hear
witnesses testify on the following issues related to cargo tank
vehicles: * Vehicle
design changes that may be implemented to reduce the
likelihood of rollover accidents, * Evaluation
of the capability and limitations of electronic
stability control systems for preventing rollover
accidents, * The role of
driver training and testing for preventing
rollover accidents, * Roadway
factors that could contribute toward vehicle instability and
signage that could be implemented for preventing
rollover accidents, * Initiatives
that could be taken to protect highway bridge piers from
vehicle impacts, and * Crashworthiness
standards for cargo tanks transporting high-risk
hazardous materials. The hearing will
be webcast. An agenda and webcast details will be posted on
the Board's website, http://www.ntsb.gov/events/hearing_sched.htm,
when available. -30- Media Contact:
Keith Holloway, 202-314-6100 ************************************************************ This message is
delivered to you as a free service from the National
Transportation Safety Board. You may
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