Exploding scuba tank kills one - Florida

[Blue Sparkle]

Just thinking out loud here: If the fellow had mounted his regs before leaving the house, and if for some reason the valve was open (say he charged the regs to test things and then forgot to close it), then could an O-ring failure - or even a free-flow - and the resulting fast escape of gas have been part of the problem?

I really don't know if either of those things are even possible culprits in an explosion.

 

[Splitlip]

If it's a deco bottle the reg and it's state of O2 prep could be of interest. I have no idea if the cylinder thought to be filled with.

Tobin

Interesting.

So.. if the victim mounts a reg which is not 02 cleaned on an 02 bottle..walking out he charges to check the pressure...could it happen? IDK. I'm a rec guy..<40%.

 

[Some X Dry]

Lovin' your theory. Maybe you should get out to the movies less.
J

Spoke too a person today who witnessed the showing of the tank in question by investigators at a dive shop and heard confirmation that the person interviewed knew him (Russ) to use it as an O2 tank. However, the contents of the tank are still in question. Was also told by person that the threads where sheared smooth from the neck of the tank and the search for valve was still on going at the time of the interview by investigators. Additional damage to the tank was similar to what was described by the media.

 

[DandyDon]

Police: Two scuba tanks found at explosion scene were stolen - St. Petersburg Times

ST. PETERSBURG &#8212; Police said on Thursday that they determined there was stolen equipment at the scene of the deadly scuba tank blast that took place Sunday morning.

Russell Vanhorn II, 23, was killed when the tank he was holding exploded inside a condo at 5865 37th Ave., authorities said.

Vanhorn was recently charged in Pasco County with misdemeanor petty theft. He was accused of taking a dive reel from his former employer, Scuba West in Hudson, in April. The shop reported that other scuba gear was also missing but authorities said there was no evidence to charge Vanhorn.

But now St. Petersburg police say two tanks that were reported missing from the shop were found inside the condo. Police have not yet determined if the tank that blew up also was stolen.

The cause of the explosion is still under investigation. Vanhorn will be buried Saturday in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

 

[squid509]

looks like karma at work

 

[DreamSurfer]

From St. Pete man dies after scuba tank explodes | TBO.com

It seems in a follow-up article, there was "stolen SCUBA tanks/gear at the site".
If someone stole some of my old gear, I can almost guarantee there is at least 1 empty tank I keep to use as as a teaching tool of what NOT to fill & to show what pitting, carbon, oily bad fills, and leaving empty tanks around can & will do to a tank. I would NEVER fill that tank!!!
Perhaps he, or someone he knew, stole one such tank? Tanks like these are invaluable to teach new techs what NOT to fill, shows out of hydro dates, etc. which even my older "Basic" students could have easily spotted.

I have seen a tech fill a tank in which a customer requested a switch of a tank valve of an AL tank & and older steel tank... The old steel tanks had straight threads, the AL80 tanks have a tapered thread, and I got to witness first hand a tank valve cut loose & go through a steel-roof building. I jumped, from a dead stop, roughly 10 feet straight backwards. The AL80 tank was at a warm roughly 3000+ PSI, and the valve did take off, putting a hole in a roughly 1/5" thick galvanized steel building that was, at the point of exit roughly 20 ft. We waited to see if we could hear it come down - we thought we did roughly 2-3 minutes later. That was a long time ago, but is something you never forget! Darn loud too!

If that tank was a "teaching tank" for techs, or simply a poorly maintained tank, either way, it will be evident when forensics gets a hold of it.

It will also be evident if it was a tank valve that was sheered off, which I've seen take an older car with those beautiful lines & turn it into a newer-looking "bubble" or rounded-off car (and those older cars aren't the thin, tin can cars we have now! They were thick steel!)

A valve-sheer can most definitely sound like an "explosion", and as others have commented, can turn the tank & the valve into missiles on a full fill!

Additionally, there was a note that either the man, or a neighbor, was a welder & tanks could have been self-filled & perhaps not in a proper, water-filled filling station with steel shielding & perhaps IMHO without proper humidity filters, which could have also contributed to the incident.

Please keep us posted on the outcome!

If nothing else, this is a learning experience for everyone!

Get your tanks, regulators and BCs (BCDs) inspected (regulators rebuilt, BCs valves checked) EVERY 12 months!!! (more often if in chlorine &/
or if you live in dry, smoggy conditions, as smog seems to eat rubber O-rings - I'd suggest every 6 months if you live in a desert &/or smoggy area)
Have your tank(s) hydro-ed at least every 5 years by a DOT-Certified facility!
Get your tanks filled at proper filling stations with the proper equipment! (dehydrating filters, etc.)
Have your tanks inspected annually (This includes thread counts, pits, folds, etc.) Ask to watch & visually inspect your own tanks as well
when the test is being run!
When traveling, it is a great idea to have a filter that goes between their compressor & your tank
There is another filter to use when using others' tanks - check others' tanks for hydro & visual stickers!
(I've seen oil come through a tank that had been out of the country, through a regulator and into the mouth & lungs of an unsuspecting diver!)
Buy your own tank(s) & treat them with care & be sure others do as well!
If in doubt, or if you've been traveling, have your tank(s) tested! Tanks are generally drained when they are being shipped!
If customs has you empty your tank(s), you must comply, yet you CAN ask them where the closest SCUBA shop is located!
Get to the nearest reputable, DOT certified SCUBA shop & get dry air back into your tank(s) ASAP!
(It is a good idea to know where that is BEFORE you return from that cruise or plane trip!)
Can you imagine how tragic this accident could have been with a full tank on a commercial airline?
I suppose now those who question why airlines have us empty our tanks now know at least one reason why!

If you've never been taught what to look for, ASK! Take a class if need be, but be aware of how to maintain your gear!

Basics of when to have hydros, visuals inspections & filters for travel & inspections, O ring changes, etc. after travel, should be taught in your 1st SCUBA course!
If it wasn't, or if you want to know more ASK! Most shops/instructors I've worked with are more than happy to show you the basics!

Like any accident, there are things to be learned from them! PLEASE learn from this accident, be safe & best of all, have fun!

 

[DreamSurfer]

I'd like to ask a few questions:

1. Do we know for a fact that the tank that exploded is an aluminum tank?

2. If so, do we know for a fact that it was a 40 cubic fooot tank?

3. Do we know if the valve has been recovered?

4. If the valve is recovered, will we know if the burst disc was either defective or "doubled-up"?

5. Do we know where the victim got the tank filled?

6. Does the fact that the tank wall ruptured indicate that the burst disc must have been doubled-up?

Hmmm... I'm sure this will all come out in the wash, yet the burst disc should certainly have gone before the valve, unless the valve had been swapped out or the threads were toast... This should be interesting!

I'm a gal that pretty much has gills & dive w/ an AL50. I've yet to see a guy dive with anything smaller than an AL80.

A great reason for everyone to check their tanks to be sure they are within hydro & VIP (visual) and to be sure your tanks are inspected & hydroed & tumbled (if needed) by a DOT certified shop!

The techs where I used to work did have a tank go off on them in a test tank occasionally & even through they were far from us, we could still hear when one went off in a controlled situation, and yep! Those were VERY loud too!

Tanks are still pretty cheap - & after seeing the rate on recycling, I think it might be time to retire my old babies. They've been great, have a TON of fun memories, but it simply isn't worth a $100 or so to risk any injury to anyone.

 

[Micamber]

DreamSurfer wrote:

...1 empty tank I keep to use as as a teaching tool of what NOT to fill & to show what pitting, carbon, oily bad fills, and leaving empty tanks around can & will do to a tank. I would NEVER fill that tank!!!​

Perhaps you should consider drilling a hole in the side of that tank, so that if it ever falls out of your control everyone knows that it can't be filled.

 

[DandyDon]

If customs has you empty your tank(s), you must comply, yet you CAN ask them where the closest SCUBA shop is located!
Get to the nearest reputable, DOT certified SCUBA shop & get dry air back into your tank(s) ASAP!

I have to empty my pony when I fly with it and have not refilled it between trips. I guess I need to change.

 

[MXGratefulDiver]

Perhaps you should consider drilling a hole in the side of that tank, so that if it ever falls out of your control everyone knows that it can't be filled.

I worked at a dive shop that used to do that for tanks that failed hydro ... until the day someone showed up with a tank that had the hole tapped and then filled with a large bolt, which had been covered over with some sort of epoxy. Unbelievably, this fellow expected me to fill his tank ... :shocked2:

After that, the dive shop adopted the practice of scoring the threads on failed tanks, so that you could no longer put a tank valve on it.

... Bob (Grateful Diver)