June 21 community meeting also scheduled
WASHINGTON (May 24, 2023) — The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a two-day investigative hearing in East Palestine, Ohio, on June 22-23, as part of the ongoing investigation into the
Feb. 3 derailment of a Norfolk Southern Railway train and subsequent hazardous material release and fires.
The investigative hearing, to be held at East Palestine High School beginning at 9 a.m. Eastern time both days, will focus on: hazard communications and emergency responder preparedness for the initial emergency response; the circumstances that led to the decision to vent and burn five rail tank cars carrying vinyl chloride; freight car bearing failure modes and wayside detection systems; and tank car derailment damage, crashworthiness and hazardous materials package information. NTSB investigative hearings gather sworn testimony from witnesses on issues the agency identifies during the investigation. While the investigative hearing is open to the public, only NTSB board members, investigators, scheduled witnesses and parties to the hearing are allowed to participate. The public is invited to observe the hearing.
“The communities most affected by this tragedy deserve as much insight as possible into our investigation, which is why we’re holding an investigative hearing in East Palestine,” said NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. “While we unfortunately cannot change what happened that day, our entire agency is committed to carrying out our mission, which doesn’t end when we get to the bottom of what happened and why it happened—we’ll also work vigorously to prevent it from ever happening again.”
Investigative Hearing
WHAT: Investigative hearing on the Feb. 3 Norfolk Southern Railway train derailment in East Palestine, OH.
WHO: NTSB board members, investigative staff, scheduled witnesses and parties to the hearing.
WHEN: Thursday, June 22, from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and Friday, June 23, from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Eastern time.
WHERE: East Palestine High School
360 West Grant Street
East Palestine, OH 44413
HOW TO VIEW: Attend in person to observe the hearing or watch livestream on
NTSB YouTube channel.
See our
East Palestine investigation hearing webpage for more details.
Community Meeting
On June 21, a community meeting will be held for residents of East Palestine and surrounding areas, including neighboring communities in Pennsylvania, at East Palestine High School at 6 p.m. Eastern time. The meeting will provide an opportunity for residents to ask NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy questions about the NTSB and its investigative process.
WHAT: Community meeting on the NTSB and its investigative process, in advance of the investigative hearing scheduled for June 22-23.
WHO: NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy and area residents.
WHEN: Wednesday, June 21 from 6-8 p.m. Eastern time.
WHERE: East Palestine High School
360 West Grant Street
East Palestine, OH 44413
See our East Palestine
community meeting webpage for more details on this in-person event, including the topics that will be addressed.
Media planning to attend the investigative hearing and/or the community meeting in person should RSVP at mediarelations@ntsb.gov.
Parties participating in the investigative hearing will be announced in a few weeks.
Further investigative updates and investigative hearing information will be issued as it becomes available. For details on the ongoing investigation, see the East Palestine investigation webpage.
To report an incident/accident or if you are a public safety agency, please call 1-844-373-9922 or 202-314-6290 to speak to a Watch Officer at the NTSB Response Operations Center (ROC) in Washington, DC (24/7).
