Investigators looking into the January 24 drilling rig explosion that killed 5 men near Quinton, Oklahoma say workers were in the process of changing the drill bit when the blast happened.
The U.S. Chemical Safety Board reported this week in its website the new information found by its investigators.
” At the time of the incident, the rig crew had recently pulled the drillpipe and associated drilling tools out of the well in preparation to change out the drill bit,” stated the report.
The drilling contractor was Patterson-UTI Drilling Company, LLC, a firm that brought the drilling rig and workforce to the site.
“Another well had recently been drilled by Patterson-UTI on this pad without incident. Drilling of 1H-9 began on January 11, 2018, and currently the CSB is unaware of any deviations from the original well plan,” continued the report.
Red Mountain Operating based in Oklahoma City was the lease holder and operator of the well which was referred to as the Pryor Trust 0718 1H-9 well.
The Chemical Safety Board explained that as the operator, Red Mountain was responsible for the well’s design and the drilling program “which should account for well-specific conditions that could increase the risk or complexity of the drilling contractor’s various drilling and well control operations.”
But as the drilling contractor, according to the CSB report, Patterson-UTI Drilling had “more direct control over the primary operations (drilling) and emergency response (well control).”
The CSB report indicated both companies are cooperating with the investigation and “promptly provided the well plan, daily drilling reports and electronic rig data.”
The investigators are reviewing the information and will interview eye witnesses and others present at the wellsite “beginning as early as next week.”