Accidentally Cut Jet Fuel Line Leaves 500 Gallon Spill

An MTA-hired subcontractor severed a jet fuel line that was targeted by would-be terrorists in 2007, spilling 500 gallons of gasoline at the corner of Skillman Avenue and 37th Street. The workman was doing maintenance work for the MTA when he drilled into the Buckeye Pipeline, a 12-inch tube that rests four feet below street level and carries eight million gallons of fuel and refined petroleum into New York City every day, according to the Daily News.

The fuel-pumping system, which services both JFK and LaGuardia airports, was shut down immediately after the pipe was breached. Responding firefighters sprayed flame-retardant foam on the fuel. In the aftermath of the mistake, which occurred just before noon, about 200 gallons of fuel poured into the sewer system, according to Fox 5.

This mishap at the Buckeye Pipeline comes just two years after investigators nabbed four men suspected of a far-fetched plot to destroy JFK Airport by blowing up the pipe. No one was injured yesterday and operations at both airports continued unaffected, but neighbors remained concerned. "That could have blown up the whole block," Richard Smith told the Daily News.