O2 tank explosion

[sharksdelight]

Rick Allen, a professional and working shooter who has done much work for the National Geographic and Discovery channels, whose breaching Great Whites have been in a ton of national commercials, and who discovered Blackbeard the Pirate's Queen Anne's Revenenge in N.Carolina, accidently knocked over the oxygen tank after arriving home from seeing a hockey game. It blew up blowing through the house, blowing off the fenders of two cars and setting Rick on fire. He is currently in intensive care, and, I am told, in an induced coma with 20% burns to his body. They had to amputate the lower portion of his left arm. His wife Cindy, a professional photographer, was in the bathroom when it happened and she herself had to get 12 stitches to her face.

Rick is one of the very finest guys I have known. Many years ago, he was putting together a pilot series for the networks and bought a few of my DV films for far more than they were worth. $1000 for a 5 min Standard Def movie was a lot in those days. This was long before HDV came out. He also bought several of my fellow videographer friends films and paid everyone. He never was able to sell the pilot and lost money but he was always straight up and honest. We have kept in touch over the years by phone or email, and last year he invited me to complete my bucket list dive with the sandtigers off N.Carolina. He and his wife Cindy couldn't have been more hospitable. We communicated via email just the day before the accident regarding doing the sand tigers again this coming July 4th. And then this.
FayObserver.com -
Former WRAL photographer, wife injured in explosion :: WRAL.com This last one has the video news report.
I was shocked to get a call yesterday morning telling me about the accident. Knowling Rick, he will be determined to get back in the water. I pray he does.
If you know Rick, or even if you don't, you couldn't find a nicer gentleman or a more knowledgeable shooter.

Steve

 

[05sportsman]

Reply to above:
In the video it shows parts of the tank, shows a hydro date of what appears to be 6/10 and it did not appear to have split from SLC. Also the lack of a VE behind the hydro would indicate it was not a 6351 alloy tank. All in all it was just a terrible accident.

 

[bletso]

What is really interesting is the valve seems to be intact in the neck. There must have been some type of structural flaw in the cylinder wall. I have never liked high pressure O2 and aluminum cylinders.
Perhaps we will find out more at a later date.

Dale

Reply to above:
In the video it shows parts of the tank, shows a hydro date of what appears to be 6/10 and it did not appear to have split from SLC. Also the lack of a VE behind the hydro would indicate it was not a 6351 alloy tank. All in all it was just a terrible accident.

 

[Black Jack]

Hey Dale, what Steve posted is pretty much the story, the house was seriously damaged. I'm sure that once Rick has recovered he will post more direct information and I'll post as much as I can once Rick and Cindy have given the ok. Bottom line lesson is that deco bottles can cause some very bad damage should they go off. Rick is a great guy and we're all pulling for him.

 

[UnderSeaBumbleBee]

If you watch the posted clip and freeze the video at 1:53, it looks as if the valve is bent in the neck and an O ring is sticking out. Am I seeing that correctly?

Thoughts and prayers with these folks. Very sad.

 

[05sportsman]

If you watch the posted clip and freeze the video at 1:53, it looks as if the valve is bent in the neck and an O ring is sticking out. Am I seeing that correctly?

Thoughts and prayers with these folks. Very sad.

Looks like that to me.

 

[Black Jack]

Where is the video y'all are looking at?

 

[DandyDon]

Where is the video y'all are looking at?

http://wwwcache.wral.com/presentation/v2/flash/video/vp-wral.swf?v=20100913a

If that doesn't work, find it at http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/8875309/ Looks like just the top of the tank in one piece.

click to enlarge ​

Amazing he knew that he was missing a hand but still grabbed a hose to spray the fire. I keep a fire extinguisher in my garage, but I don't know how clear I would think.

 

[Belmont]

I notice a rather thick black residue on the inside surface of the cylinder.

Could contamination inside the tank have caused the explosion.

Was it a bomb just waiting to be triggered by a shock?

 

[iztok]

<speculation #1>

When falling vent rolled open a bit and spark started the explosion.

</speculation #1>

<speculation #2>

dip tube was almost undone and when tank fell it got undone and stroke a spark causing tank to explode

</speculation #2>