The following is a partial list of oil, petroleum, and gas pipeline accidents in the United States between 1950 and 1969.
1950s 1950 January 20 – The "Big Inch" gas pipeline exploded and burned, near Caldwell, Ohio, causing 500 foot high flames, and damaging farm buildings. There were no injuries. March 13 – An overhead pipeline at a refinery in Martinez, California leaked, causing flammable fumes to spread onto a highway. An automobile ignited the fumes, killing a woman, and injuring two others in the vehicle. 3 automobiles were also burned. April 11 – Three separate explosions on the Big Inch gas transmission pipeline near Colonia, New Jersey were announced to be from hydrostatic testing of that pipeline for weaknesses. May 19 – The "Little Big Inch" exploded, near Somerset, Ohio, causing a 40 foot wide and 25 foot deep crater. There was no fire or injuries. July 1 – The "Big Inch" gas pipeline exploded and burned near Beallsville, Ohio. A house and a barn were destroyed by the fire. July 10 – The "Little Big Inch" gas pipeline exploded, near Jasper, Indiana, causing a 40 foot wide crater. There was no fire or injuries. July 14 – A gas main failed in Seattle, Washington, killing one person, and injuring 8 others. A nearby building was damaged by the explosion and fire. August 22 – Three workers were killed in an underground vault in Los Angeles, California when a gas main exploded. There was no fire. September 7 – A new natural gas pipeline exploded near Big Rapids, Michigan. Two barns were destroyed by the ensuing fire, which was seen for 50 miles. September 20 A brand new natural gas transmission pipeline exploded, while initial pressure was building up, near Wadley, Texas. About 300 yards of the pipe were ripped out of the ground. A river crossing of a gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned, near Roanoke, Alabama. There were no injuries. November 24 – A newly built 30-inch natural gas pipeline ruptured for nearly , causing a fire that destroyed two homes under construction near King of Prussia, Pennsylvania.
1951 January 7 – Two men welding on a crude oil pipeline at an oil Terminal in Kansas City, Kansas were severely burned when a nearby valve failed, spraying them with crude oil that ignited. Both later died of their burns. January 10 – Two gas explosions, three hours apart, hit McKees Rock, Pennsylvania, injuring eight people, igniting a fire, and causing widespread damage. January 13 – The "Big Inch" gas pipeline exploded and burned, near Oran, Missouri. 4 people were injured. February 9 – Natural gas leaked from a gas line into a sewer system in Jefferson, Pennsylvania. The gas was involved in three separate home explosions, causing other homes to burn. Two people were killed, eight others injured, and six homes destroyed. September 21 – A gas main pressure regulator failed in Rochester, New York, causing a series of explosion that lasted for four hours. Three people were killed, and 30 homes were destroyed. October 31 – A Halloween parade in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was interrupted by four gas main explosions. 29 people were injured. November 27 – A 12-inch temporary gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned near Cranberry, Pennsylvania, causing a high flame that could be seen for a number of miles away. The explosion was heard for ten miles around. A pipeline compressor station under construction at the site was destroyed. A nearby elementary school was relocated following the failure.
1952 January 15 – The "Big Inch" gas pipeline exploded and burned, near Oakland City, Indiana. 2 nearby railroad workers were injured. March 12 – A fire broke out at an oil pump station, near Granger, Wyoming. There were no injuries reported. May 17 – A brand new valve being added to the 20-inch "Little Inch" gas transmission pipeline split open near Marietta, Pennsylvania, knocking down pipeline company workers, two of whom were seriously injured. There was no fire. July 9 – A gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned near York, Pennsylvania. July 17 – A tractor hit a gas pipeline, and a following explosion and fire killed two men, near Ackerly, Texas. September 26 – Four men working on an 8-inch gas pipeline near Mount Pleasant, Michigan were burned when that pipeline ruptured as they raised it for reconditioning. October 18 – A 26-inch gas pipeline, a branch of the "Big Inch" pipeline, started leaking at an insulated flange in Liberty Corner, New Jersey. A road was closed during the leak. December 29 – Twelve persons were injured in a blast that shook the Lawndale district of Los Angeles, California, when a ditching machine broke a gasoline-carrying pipeline and touched off a fiery explosion.
1953 January 6 – An explosion & fire on a gas pipeline in Edgerton, Wisconsin left 20,000 homes without gas service in cold weather. There were no injuries reported. February 9 – The "Little Big Inch" gas pipeline exploded, near Somerset, Ohio. There were no injuries. September 9 – Five square miles east of Boston, Massachusetts were evacuated from a pipeline leaking about of gasoline. September 10 – A gas explosion in Cleveland, Ohio killed one person and injured 50 others. October 18 – The 20 inch "Big Inch" gas transmission pipeline exploded near Uniontown, Pennsylvania, causing a massive fire that burned five acres of cornfields, and opened an 18 foot deep crater. There were no injuries reported. November 24 – A US Air Force T-33 trainer jet crashed into a natural gas pipeline bridge over the Mississippi River near Greenville, Mississippi, rupturing and igniting the pipeline.
1954 January 17 – A Panhandle Eastern gas transmission pipeline exploded in Lucas County, Ohio, causing some nearby residents to evacuate and a crater 60 feet long, 10 feet deep, and 8 feet wide. Two other explosions had occurred on this pipeline in the previous two years in Lucas County, but a Panhandle Eastern representative said the three explosions were just a coincidence. April 12 – A 40-to-50-year-old LP gas distribution line was blamed for causing an explosion in Goldsboro, North Carolina that killed five people, injured 15 others, and demolished three buildings.
1955 February 15 – A 20-inch Cities Service pipeline exploded south of Lawrence, Kansas, ejecting a 20-foot section of pipeline. There was no fire or injuries. March 7 – The "Big Inch" gas pipeline exploded and burned near Roseville, Ohio. Flames reached high, and of brush and timber burned. March 9 – A pipeline construction crew of four were killed while trying to move a pipeline for the building of a toll road in Chesterton, Indiana. Two other pipeline workers were injured, and a school a quarter mile away was evacuated. A burst pipeline at a refinery in Sunburst, Montana contaminated groundwater and soil in the area. Despite pumping out over of gasoline, pollution from the accident remained. In 2004, local residents and a school district won a lawsuit for payment of damages. A bulldozer ruptured and ignited a gas pipeline in Brookshire, Texas. Flames reached , and the bulldozer operator was killed. August 10 – A gas leak in Ashtabula, Ohio was ignited by electrical equipment or lightning, causing a restaurant to explode. 21 people were killed, 15 more were injured, and six buildings were destroyed. September 7 – A gas pipeline being tested in Detroit, Michigan exploded and burned, injuring one person, and destroying 50 cars. October 10 – A crew cleaning the outside of a natural gas pipeline with a heavy rubber ball ruptured a coupler, causing an explosion and fire east of Orleans, Indiana. Two members of the crew were killed, and three others were injured. November 30 – A drag-line operation in a gravel pit in Irving, Texas ruptured an 8-inch diameter gasoline pipeline. Gasoline spread out over about , then exploded and burned. One home was destroyed, but the family living there was away at the time of the explosion.
1956 February 11 – A corroded gas line from a gas main leaked, causing an explosion that killed three people at a meat packing plant in Toledo, Ohio. February 27 – A trench-digging machine being used in building a freeway cut into a gasoline pipeline in West Los Angeles, California. At least three people were burned, with nine homes, a warehouse, and a laundry catching on fire. April 26 – A new 26-inch gas transmission line was being pressure-tested near Moab, Utah when the gas exploded, then burned, causing damage to a utility pole, and damaging a half-mile of the pipeline. Mines in the region were shut down due to the lack of power. There were no injuries. October 16 – A butane pipeline ruptured, forcing 25 families to evacuate from flammable fumes near Greenwich, Ohio. Trains were also stopped in the area, until the fumes dissipated. There were no injuries.
1957 January 16 – An explosion and fire occurred at a natural gas compressor station in Liberal, Kansas, killing three workers at that station. Eleven other workers were injured, and the fire burned for two hours. The shut-down of this gas pipeline from the explosion affected customers as far away as Ohio in sub-zero weather conditions. January 17 – Two explosions from a natural gas main killed three people in Peoria, Illinois. Seven others were injured, and a home and a two-story building were leveled. January 23 – The "Little Inch" gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned near York, Pennsylvania, causing flames that reached 200 feet high. There were no injuries. February 6 – A leaking gas main in Reno, Nevada led to three explosions. Two people were killed, 42 others injured, and five buildings were destroyed. June 3 – A 26-inch natural gas transmission pipeline exploded and burned near Ellinwood, Kansas, destroying a farm house. One person was injured. August 6 – 6 workers were injured in a fire and explosion, at a compressor station of the "Big Inch" gas pipeline near New Lexington, Ohio. Welding was being done at the time. October 18 – A 16-inch gas transmission pipeline burst 30 miles from Spokane, Washington, shutting down gas delivery to the Spokane area. A family near the rupture had to take cover. December 5 – A gas line in the basement of a store that was being worked on in Villa Rica, Georgia, exploded. Thirteen people were killed in the explosion and ensuing fire. At least six stores were destroyed.
1958 February 17 – A natural gas metering station in Kimberly, Idaho exploded, killing two pipeline company workers, injuring another worker, and destroying the metering building. There was no fire. June 1 – Gas leaking from a pipeline near Big Spring, Texas was ignited and exploded, killing three fishermen and seriously burning another. June 12 – A 12-inch gas pipeline exploded and burned, near Lucinda, Pennsylvania. Fire spread to nearby vegetation. There were no injuries. June 22 – The "Little Big Inch" gas pipeline exploded, near Davidsburg, Pennsylvania. Hydrostatic pressure testing was done on the pipeline afterwards, due to it being the fourth explosion on that pipeline in that area in the past 6 years.There was no injuries. September 16 – A truck missed a curve on a road and crashed into a gas transmission pipeline compressor station near Kings Mountain, North Carolina. There was an explosion and fire, and the two men in the truck were killed. October 4 – A gasoline pipeline was ruptured by a bulldozer in Hobbs, New Mexico. The gasoline ignited, injuring three people, damaging six homes, and threatening a number of other homes for a time. November 9 – A jet fuel pipeline ruptured near the Blue Creek in Idaho. Fuel flowed down the creek, and later ignited, damaging one home and destroying six bridges. Several people fell sick from the fumes. December 14 – A leaking and burning gas line under a street led to several explosions at a hotel in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Seven people were killed and 23 others injured.
1959