Distracted Amtrak Engineer Possible Factor In Derailment

DUPONT, WA - The engineer operating the train that derailed in DuPont on Monday morning did not pull the emergency brake in the moments before the crash, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). The NTSB also confirmed that another person was in the cab with the engineer, lending credence to an Associated Press report that said the engineer may have been distracted by someone in the locomotive.

NTSB Vice President Bella Dinh-Zarr said Tuesday afternoon that investigators are right now in the process of analyzing audio and video recordings from the train. No crew members from the train have been interviewed yet, Dinh-Zarr said, because they are still being treated for injuries.

Dinh-Zarr said the train's emergency brake was activated automatically when it derailed. Engineers also have the ability to pull the emergency brake to avoid a crash if necessary.

The AP report cited a U.S. government official who said the engineer was distracted in the cab by a conductor-in-training. Dinh-Zarr confirmed that there was a conductor with the engineer in the locomotive when the derailment occurred. She also confirmed the conductor was in the cab because they were learning the route.

The train was going about 80 MPH in a 30 MPH zone, according to the NTSB. The train left the tracks where they curve to cross a trestle over I-5. Dinh-Zarr said there were "witness marks" on the tracks showing where the crash happened.

Three people died in the derailment including a Pierce Transit employee and a retired WSDOT worker. The third victim has not been identified.

Distraction has been a factor in other recent derailments. Investigators speculated the 2015 Amtrak crash in Philadelphia happened because the engineer was distracted by a rock that hit the train's windshield. The engineer of the Metro North train that crashed in 2013 in the Bronx was found to have sleep apnea, and investigators believe his drowsiness was a factor in that derailment.

I-5 To Remain Closed

Southbound I-5 through DuPont might remain closed for "several days," according to the Washington State Department of Transportation. Multiple agencies are on scene near Mounts Road moving derailed Amtrak cars.

"I-5 still could be closed for several days," WSDOT spokesman Travis Phelps said at a press conference Tuesday morning.

On Tuesday, crews will be loading five derailed cars onto trucks and transporting them to a secure location inside Joint Base Lewis-McChord. Once there, the National Transportation Safety Board will inspect the cars as part of an investigation into the derailment.

While transporting the cars, northbound I-5 will have to be closed so the trucks can cross onto DuPont-Steilacoom Road.

To move the locomotive, which weighs 270,000 pounds, crews will have to erect a special crane. Weather is also complicating the recovery. Rain and wind are forecast to stick around in Puget Sound through Wednesday.

Southbound traffic is being diverted around the scene via SR 16 and SR 7 and 507 through Spanaway and Yelm. The Yelm detour was thronged with drivers Tuesday morning and was backed up for 14 miles.

Phelps urged drivers to avoid the area if possible.

Image by Elaine Thompson/Associated Press