Latest National Transportation Safety Board News

Rushed railcar inspections and 'stagnated' safety record reinforce concerns after fiery Ohio crash

Jul. 23, 2024 19:58 PM EDT

Major freight railroads are rushing railcar inspections, reinforcing known safety concerns raised by unions for years, but at a House hearing Tuesday they'll present new evidence from federal inspectors that railcar checks are routinely less than two minutes per car. The unions have...

Jury faults NY railroad — mostly — for 2015 crossing crash that killed 6

Jul. 18, 2024 18:51 PM EDT

A commuter railroad is mostly at fault for a fiery and deadly 2015 collision between a train and an SUV at a suburban New York crossing, a jury has found in a verdict that lays out how the bill for any damages will be split. The verdict, reached Tuesday, held that the Metro-North...

After crash that killed 6 teens, NTSB chief says people underestimate marijuana's impact on drivers

Jul. 18, 2024 13:21 PM EDT

DETROIT (AP) — A horrific crash that killed six high school girls in Oklahoma two years ago has the head of the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board urging parents to warn teenagers about the risk of driving after using marijuana. Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy made the appeal to...

3 killed when small plane crashes in western North Carolina mountains, officials say

Jul. 08, 2024 16:41 PM EDT

MARION, N.C. (AP) — Three people were killed when a small plane crashed in western North Carolina, officials said Monday. McDowell County Emergency Management said in a statement that emergency personnel responding to a report of a missing small plane found the downed aircraft near...

NTSB chair says Norfolk Southern interfered with derailment probe after botching vent-and-burn call

Jun. 25, 2024 20:02 PM EDT

EAST PALESTINE, Ohio (AP) — The head of the National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday that Norfolk Southern repeatedly tried to interfere with the agency's investigation into the East Palestine derailment and shape its conclusions about the flawed decision to blow open five tank cars and...

Dali cargo ship leaves Baltimore for Virginia, nearly 3 months after bridge collapse

Jun. 24, 2024 19:26 PM EDT

The cargo ship Dali headed out of Baltimore for Virginia on Monday, nearly three months after it lost power and crashed into one of the Francis Scott Key bridge’s supporting columns and caused the bridge to collapse. The 984-foot Dali started moving shortly before 8:30 a.m. with...

Railroads must provide details of hazardous cargo immediately after a derailment under new rule

Jun. 24, 2024 17:10 PM EDT

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — A new federal rule finalized Monday aims to ensure first responders can find out what hazardous chemicals are on a train almost immediately after a derailment so they can respond appropriately. Too often in past disasters like last year's fiery Norfolk Southern...

Norfolk Southern said ahead of the NTSB hearing that railroads will examine vent and burn decisions

Jun. 21, 2024 18:08 PM EDT

Days before the National Transportation Safety Board is set to explain why first responders were wrong to blow open five tank cars and burn the toxic chemical inside after the East Palestine derailment, Norfolk Southern said Friday it plans to lead an industrywide effort to improve the way those...

Could a cockpit warning system prevent close calls between planes at US airports?

Jun. 13, 2024 18:00 PM EDT

DALLAS (AP) — As a Delta Air Lines jet began roaring down a runway, an air traffic controller at New York's John F. Kennedy International Airport suddenly blurted out an expletive, then ordered the pilots to stop their takeoff roll. The controller saw an American Airlines plane...

Report says unsecured tanker hatch spilled out gas in crash that destroyed I-95 bridge in Philly

Jun. 13, 2024 15:48 PM EDT

HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Gasoline spilled out from an unsecured hatch on the top of the gasoline delivery tanker that overturned and ignited beneath an Interstate 95 bridge in Philadelphia a year ago, according to new details from federal investigators. Video evidence obtained by...