Brittle Fracture (Catastrophic) Failure during HYDROTEST of Propane Bullet

I have posted numerous fatal accidents that occurred during the pressure testing of piping and pressure vessels.  Although hydrostatic testing involves less energy release should something fail vs. using pneumatic pressure, the hazard(s) are still HUGE and must be respected.  This incident involved a propane bullet built in 1994 and placed into service in 1996, so do not think this was some ancient pressure vessel that had seen its better day!  The catastrophic failure occurred during a hydrostatic pressure test after its MI inspection.  A worker who was checking flanges for leaks was killed when the top of the vessel failed, striking the worker. Excellent photos with a great analysis…