NTSB found a failed wheel bearing caused the East Palestine derailment and that the vent-and-burn of tank cars was not necessary

At a June 25, 2024 board meeting in East Palestine, Ohio, the National Transportation Safety Board said a rail car's defective wheel bearing caused the February 2023 derailment and hazardous material release. Investigators also found the vent and burn of the tank cars three days later was not necessary to prevent a tank car failure and was based on information that NTSB investigators described as incomplete and misleading, provided by Norfolk Southern officials and contractors.