NTSB Recovers Ship’s Black Box After Tragedy

(AFP via Getty)

The National Transportation Safety Board has recovered the “black box” data recorder from the Singapore-flagged Dali cargo ship after its collision with the Francis Scott Key Bridge early Tuesday morning, as confirmed by NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy. The crash, occurring around 1:30 a.m., prompted an immediate investigation by the NTSB.

In an early morning Wednesday conversation with CNN, Homendy shared her insights into the ongoing investigation: “We did have some investigators who boarded late last night to begin to look at the engine room, the bridge, and gather any sort of electronics or documentation. But really it was very late, and so we are returning today to continue that work and to also have our highway team begin to look at the structure.”

CNN further probing about the recovery efforts aboard the Dali led Homendy to reveal, “So right now, we do have the data recorder, which is essentially the black box. We’ve sent that back to our lab to evaluate and begin to develop a timeline of events that led up to the strike on the bridge, and we hope to have that information to share with the public later today.”

Inquiries directed to the NTSB by Newsmax were redirected toward an upcoming press conference Wednesday night. This event, where Homendy is slated to speak, will be broadcast live on YouTube via the NTSB’s channel around 8 p.m. EDT.

According to The Wall Street Journal, an officer aboard the ship said that right before the crash, the engine had stopped, causing a blackout. The Journal reported that the power outage could be attributed to “dirty fuel.”

“The vessel went dead,” the officer said, “no steering power and no electronics. One of the engines coughed and then stopped. The smell of burned fuel was everywhere in the engine room and it was pitch black.”

Before drifting into one of the pylons of the Francis Scott Key Bridge along Baltimore’s I-695, the ship didn’t have enough time to drop anchor, according to the officer. Before the crash, crew members issued a mayday call, which prompted police officers to block the bridge. CNN reported that eight members of a construction crew that was repairing potholes and masonry were on the bridge at the time of the collapse into the Patapsco River; two survived.