Government or official record

Deep Water: The Gulf Oil Disaster and the Future of Offshore Drilling

National Commission on the BP Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill

Where this source supports the record

Each entry separates the article’s editorial relevance note from its exact, section-level claims. A bibliography link without a direct claim is labeled plainly.

Engineering failures · 20 April–19 September 2010
The Deepwater Horizon Disaster

Macondo well and Deepwater Horizon wreck site · United States

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Why editors use it here
Independent investigation of decisions, blowout, response, regulation, and reform.
1. Quick read
  On 20 April 2010, hydrocarbons surged from BP's Macondo well onto the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig, ignited, and caused explosions and fire.
  Reviewed 26 July 2026
2. Trigger and conditions
  During temporary abandonment, a negative-pressure test produced anomalous results that were misread as a bladder effect.
  Reviewed 26 July 2026
3. Uncertainty
  The federal estimate of 4.9 million barrels includes about 800,000 barrels captured and carries measurement uncertainty.
  Reviewed 26 July 2026
4. Why it matters
  Deepwater Horizon was a chain of understandable decisions that collectively removed well barriers.
  Reviewed 26 July 2026