Factual error: Towards the end of the movie when the hotel keys are handed out, they're IHG hotel keys for the Crowne Plaza. When the incident occurred, the cards would have been Priority Club, not IHG. (01:34:10)
Factual error: Mike would not drive down to Port Fourchon to pump gas in his truck, to drive up to Bristow heliport in Galliano (30 miles north). In actuality BP uses PHI helicopters out of Houma. That alone is close to 130 mile wasted round trip.
Factual error: The rig is continually referred to as "Deepwater" or "The Deepwater." This is incorrect, as more than one rig used "Deepwater" as part of its name (i.e. Deepwater Nautilus). It was called "Horizon" as a short version of the name.
Answer: According to survivor reports, yes. In a gas blow-out, a huge quantity of pressurized petroleum gas pours out for many seconds, forming a rapidly-expanding cloud, before a single spark finally ignites it. Typically, the outpouring of gas creates its own spark as static electricity builds up.
Charles Austin Miller