NTSB Dismisses Report That 'Human Error' Caused Fatal Derailment

Reports Monday that ”human error” caused an Amtrak train to derail Tuesday in Philadelphia have been dismissed by federal investigators.

In clarifying recent findings, investigators on Monday said they found no evidence the train’s windshield was damaged by a firearm just before the fatal crash. However, the National Transportation Safety Board said it is still trying to determine if another object hit the windshield before the train derailed, killing eight people and injuring 200.

6ABC on Monday Tweeted that ”excessive speed coupled with force of braking” caused the fatal wreck. The television network later issued a correction to its story and the Tweet by reporter Mike Neilon was taken down.

The New York Daily News reported that the NTSB dismissed the same story from 6ABC as “pure speculation.”

Investigators said the cause of the accident is still under investigation, a process that is expected to last up to 12 months, according to the NTSB.

The engineer, Brandon Bostian, told investigators he doesn’t remember what happened leading up to the crash. Officials from the NTSB are investigating the crash.

The Federal Railroad Administration, meanwhile, has ordered Amtrak to install new speed controls on a section of track where the train derailed Tuesday.

The installation of the “Automatic Train Control” system to slow speeding trains follows an order by the Federal Railroad Administration that Amtrak must take steps to improve safety on the Northeast Corridor.

“We are continuing to work with the NTSB to understand exactly what happened,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a news release.

The Automatic Train Control, or ATC, is currently used for southbound trains near the derailment site to enforce speed restrictions, according to the release.

Amtrak has been ordered to immediately ensure that the same technology is used to enforce speed restrictions for northbound trains, according to the release.

Also, Amtrak must increase its signage alerting engineers and conductors of the maximum authorized speeds along the line, according to the release.

“These are just initial steps but we believe they will immediately improve safety for passengers on the Northeast Corridor,” said Acting FRA Administrator Sarah Feinberg.

An assistant Amtrak conductor said she recalled hearing a commuter rail engineer tell the dispatch center that his windshield had “either been hit by a rock or shot at,” Sumwalt said Friday. She said she thought she heard Bostian say that his train had also been struck.

The NTSB also is looking at new video footage that shows Amtrak Train 188 accelerating to 100 mph just before the derailment.

At a press conference Thursday, Sumwalt told reporters Thursday that the video shows the train speeding from 70 to 100 mph in less than a minute, but it does not explain why it was moving so fast.

The video was not released to the public.

Preliminary investigations by the NTSB have shown the train was travelling at more than 100 miles per hour when it hit the curve, which has a posted speed limit of 50 mph.

In a statement posted to Amtrak’s blog, Amtrak President and CEO Joseph Boardman said the train service will finish upgrading the entire Northeast Corridor with speed controls by the end of the year.

“Our goal is to fully understand what happened and how we can prevent a similar tragedy from occurring in the future,” said Boardman.

Boardman also told reporters during a press conference Thursday that Amtrak’s rail service will be fully operational Tuesday, according to CBS News.

The identities of the deceased have been revealed and include:

• Laura Finamore, 47, of Douglaston, N.Y., who worked in corporate real estate, according to an online statement from the family.
• Italian national Giuseppe Piras, who was visiting the United States on business.
• Bob Gildersleeve, 45, of Maryland, who was reportedly in the first car of the train traveling from Washington to New York when it crashed, according to NBCPhiladelphia. He was pulled from the wreckage of Amtrak train 188 Thursday, two days after it derailed north of Philadelphia, according to reports.
• Justin Zemser, 20, a student from the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis;
• Derrick Griffith, 42, dean of student affairs and enrollment management at Medgar Evers College in Brooklyn, N.Y.;
• Jim Gaines, 48, an employee of the Associated Press who lived in Plainsboro, N.J.;
• Abid Gilani, a senior vice president at Wells Fargo; and
• Rachel Jacobs, CEO of a Philadelphia tech firm who lived in Manhattan.

Boardman expressed his sympathies to the families in his statement and said the company accepts full responsibility for the crash.

“With truly heavy hearts, we mourn those who died,” writes Boardman. “Their loss leaves holes in the lives of their families and communities. On behalf of the entire Amtrak family, I offer our sincere sympathies and prayers for them and their loved ones. Amtrak takes full responsibility and deeply apologizes for our role in this tragic event.”

Photo courtesy of NTSB

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