NTSB UPDATE: Upon arrival, the driver discovered the DOT 407 aluminum cargo tank was leaking and contacted his company to report it. NTSB officials say approximately 20 minutes later, the cargo tank exploded, separating the back compartment from the remainder of the cargo tank. The blast killed the driver and sent a plant worker to a hospital in Charlotte with burns and other injuries.
SAFTENG Note: 2NaOH + 2Al + 6H2O → 2NaAlO2 + 3H2 (Sodium Aluminate and Hydrogen gas)
On 4/7/26, a truck driver was killed, and a facility employee was severely burned when a Caustic (NAOH) tanker truck catastrophically failed. The reasons for the failure are unknown at this time, but pictures from the scene show the extent of the destruction.
Officials say the tanker operator was killed in the explosion. Another worker at the plant, who was assisting the operator at the time of the blast, was seriously injured with chemical burns and blast injuries and transported to the hospital. The explosion caused a secondary leak on a stationary nitrogen tank, which was contained.