Abstract
On December 11, 2012, a buried natural gas transmission pipeline ruptured in a sparsely populated area in Sissonville, West Virginia, USA. The released high pressure natural gas ignited immediately, resulting in an explosion. Three houses were destroyed by the fire, and several other houses were damaged. There were no fatalities or serious injuries. The cause of pipeline rupture was external corrosion of the pipe wall due to deteriorated coating and ineffective cathodic protection. The National Transportation Safety Board issued the report on the cause of this accident. This paper describes the accident according to this report.
