Probable Cause of Amtrak Crash that Killed Midshipman to Be Released

>>News Alerts: Subscribe to a free email newsletter: ANNAPOLIS

WASHINGTON, DC — The National Transportation Safety Board says on Tuesday it will reveal the probable cause of the train crash that killed eight passengers, including a Naval Academy midshipman.

Among those killed was a sophomore from the U.S. Naval Academy, Justin Zemser, 20, of Rockaway Beach, NY. He was returning home on leave from the U.S. Naval Academyat the time of the crash, his mother told NBC 4 New York. He was an only child.

The probable cause will be determined during a board meeting on May 17, the NTSB said Thursday.

The board meeting is set to begin at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday in Washington, D.C. The public can view the meeting live during a webcast, which will be available at the following link that morning.

The official cause should quell a year of public speculation and scrutiny over the crash, which happened shortly before 9:30 p.m. on May 12, 2015 in the Frankford Junction section of the city. In addition to the eight deaths, 200 people were injured after the train fell off the track after a curve.

Investigators from the NTSB say the train headed from Washington, D.C. to New York was traveling 106 mph when it went into the Port Richmond turn, which has a 50 mph speed limit.

The engineer, Brandon Bostian, has said in interviews with investigators that he doesn’t remember the immediate moments leading up to the crash.

The documents can be found here.

UPDATE: ‘This Is It, I’m Going Over’: Engineer Recalls Moments Before Amtrak Derailment

In February, the NTSB opened the docket on the crash investigation, releasing interview transcripts with the conductor, inspection data, information on the crew and more.

The information does not offer a conclusion behind the cause of the derailment or why Amtrak Train 188 was traveling well beyond the speed limit at the time it crashed, killing eight people and injuring hundreds.

Classmates and football team members recalled Zemser as a smart student with goals to one day become an elite Navy Seal, a selfless man with energy who urged others to “enjoy this incredible life.”

The English major and academic honor student was a wide receiver for the Navy Sprint football team, the Jewish Midshipman Club and the Semper Fi Society.

SEE ALSO: ‘Greatest Man We Have Ever Known’ Midshipman Called by Teammates

But opening the docket was the “most significant” public update on the crash in nearly eight months, the Inquirer said. The NTSB’s last update on the crash investigation was provided on June 10.

Crash background, provided previously by NTSB investigators:

Investigators from the NTSB say the train was traveling 106 mph when it went into the Port Richmond turn, which has a 50 mph speed limit.

The engineer, Brandon Bostian, 32, has said he doesn’t remember the immediate moments leading up to the crash. Investigators have said they believe Bostian accelerated for about a minute before the crash and then hit the emergency brake just seconds before the train derailed.

Bostian was not using his cell phone in the moments leading up to the derailment, the NTSB says. The NTSB analyzed his cell phone calls, texts and data usage from tower records and information from the train’s WiFi system.

The FBI, which was asked to investigate damage to the left portion of the train’s windshield, found no evidence the train was shot at by a firearm before it accelerated ahead of the curve. Other people who were interviewed during the investigation report that Bostian radioed to report the train was being targeted by what he believed was rocks or gunfire. The train derailed moments after that radio communication.

Amtrak has since installed a Positive Train Control system along the rail line’s Northeast Corridor tracks. Experts agree that such a system could have made automatic adjustments that might have prevented the derailment.

PHOTO of accident scene courtesy of NTSB; Justin Zemser photo from Naval Academy

—Includes reporting by Patch Editor Kara Seymour