On December 23, 1988, a tractor-trailer tanker truck hauling liquefied propane crashed on an exit ramp at the Interstate 40/Interstate 240 (I-40/I-240) interchange in downtown Memphis, Tennessee, US.

The crash ruptured the tank; the leaking gas exploded, setting multiple vehicles and structures on fire.

[3] Many residents opposed the routing east of this interchange because it was slated to pass through Overton Park, and filed a series of lawsuits to stop the interstate's construction.

[4] These lawsuits culminated in the 1971 U.S. Supreme Court case Citizens to Preserve Overton Park v. Volpe,[5] and in 1981 the Tennessee Department of Transportation (TDOT) abandoned plans to route I-40 east of this interchange.

[8] The vehicle involved in the accident was a 1986 Mack Econodyne tractor towing a 10,450-US-gallon (39,600 L) steel tank manufactured in 1964, loaded with 9,511 US gallons (36,000 L) of pressurized liquified propane.

[13] This set nearby vehicles and buildings on fire and instantly killed five motorists, including the driver of the truck.

[14][15] The tank was then propelled from the highway by the remaining rapidly escaping and combusting gas inside of the tank, causing it to strike a nearby overpass bridge before exiting the freeway right-of-way, bouncing off the ground, striking the top of a tree, and crashing into a duplex about 125 yards (114 m) away from the crash site.

[12] Authorities identified the deceased motorists as Randall Benson (29, driver of the tanker truck) of West Memphis, Arkansas, Harrison G. Lee (34) of Brighton, Tennessee, Robert Wardlow (40) of Memphis, Tina Wiles (30) and Warner Wiles (70), both of Vicksburg, Mississippi, and David Bailey (29, driver of second truck) of West Helena, Arkansas.

Shelanda Towles (10), Iva J. Rubesheim (87), and James M. Malone (57) were identified as the deceased occupants of the homes which were impacted by the blast.