About 2:15 p.m. c.s.t., on December 28, 1977, Louisiana & Arkansas Railway freight train Extra 4102 North collided with a log-laden tractor-semitrailer on the Vine Street crossing in Goldonna, Louisiana. The 2 diesel locomotive units and 22 cars of the train were derailed. A "jumbo" tank car loaded with about 31,000 gallons of liquefied petroleum gas was ruptured and the cargo ignited. The resultant fireball enveloped an area 1,200 feet wide including parts of Goldonna's business and residential districts. Two train crewmembers were killed; the truckdriver, a train crewmember, and eight bystanders were injured. Total damage was estimated to he $1,256,000. About 900 persons were evacuated from tine Goldonna area.

​​​The probable cause of the accident was the excessive speed of the train, the failure of the truckdriver to approach the railroad at a speed which would allow him to stop short of the approaching train; and the obstructions which reduced the truckdriver's ·field of vision. Contributing to the cause of the fatalities to train crewmembers were the ignition of LPG which escaped from head punctures to a l12A340W tank car, deformation of the locomotive operating compartment, and location of the LPG tank car near the locomotive in violation of Federal regulations.

​​As a result of this accident investigation, the National Transportation Safety Board made recommendations to the State of Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development, the Louisiana & Arkansas Railway Company, and the Federal Railroad Administration.​