NTSB Releases Initial Investigation Report of Christmas Eve Explosion

On Thursday, the NTSB released their findings from the Christmas Eve explosion that killed one Rancho Cordova man and injured five others. On December 24th, 2008, Wilbert Paana, his daughter Kimberly Dickson and grand daughter, Sunny Dickson were the victims of a tragic mistake when their home located at 10708 Paiute Way exploded from a gas leak in their front yard.

The National Transportation and Safety Board, known for their investigations in to plane crashes, has been investigating the explosion for nearly a year. Findings released Thursday show that the cause of the explosion was a small piece of packing pipe that should never have been used.

According to a PG&E submission letter, at 9:16 a.m. on December 24, 2008, a neighbor on Paiute Way called PG&E to report smelling a strong gas odor. A PG&E Gas Service Representative (GSR) arrived at the location at around 10:15 and tested for a gas leak at two separate houses, without finding signs of any leak. When another neighbor said he believed the gas smell was coming from an area of patch of dead grass in the yard of 10708 Paiute Way, the GSR found trace readings of gas in the yard, but found nothing near the house. As no one was home when the GSR was investigating that area, she remained on site after requesting a gas leak investigator and repair crew.

When Paana arrived home with his family, they did not notice the PG&E vehicle parked nearby, nor did the GSR notice the family returning. The GSR left after the foreman and investigator arrived. The foreman had a conversation with Paana about the potential gas smells around his and other homes. After the conversation, the foreman continued his investigation of the service line to the house. It was during this time, at 1:35 in the afternoon that the house exploded.

William Paana suffered fatal injuries and Kimberly and Sunny Dickson were hospitalized for burns. Four others, including a PG&E worker and a firefighter were also hospitalized.

PG&E then began excavating the main gas line. The pipeline coupling that had failed was a small, two inch in diameter section of pipe on the property of 10708 Paiute Way.

Since the explosion, PG&E has taken a number of preventative measures to insure the safety of its customers including allowing greater responsibilities for the GSR so that they may use more specific tools to locate gas leaks, stricter guidelines determining when a residence should be evacuated due to elevated gas traces, and requiring greater effort to inform residents when there is a potential problem.

Similar Posts:

• May 24, 2010 – NTSB Concludes Faulty Pipe, Delayed PG&E Response to Blame for Christmas Eve Explosion
• July 13, 2010 – Series of Grass Fires Burn in Rancho Cordova
• July 22, 2010 – Man Arrested After Breaking Into Home and Leaving Behind Backpack Filled with Stolen Property
• May 26, 2010 – Rancho Cordova Crime Report: May 18 – May 25
• July 19, 2010 – Bicyclist Struck and Killed by Motorist in Rancho Cordova

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Posted by Michelle Ventress on Dec 18 2009. Filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.