Deadly mud: How a pipe blowout killed five Oklahoma oil workers
A blowout and massive fire at an oil well in Pittsburg County, Oklahoma January 22, 20118 occurred shortly after drilling crew members removed the drill pipe from the well in a process known as “tripping,” according to the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB), which has found that that conditions existed that could have allowed a gas influx into the wellbore during the tripping operation.
The CSB’s investigation into the Pryor Trust Gas Wellincident, which claimed the lives of five workers, has determined the series of events leading up to the explosion. The timeline descriptions reveal not only the complexity of oil well operations, but also the round-the-clock nature of the industry.