NTSB Investigates Deadly Brooklyn Bridge Ship Crash

Investigation into Fatal Ship Collision

• 💥 A deadly ship crash occurred over the weekend, resulting in two fatalities, despite 277 people being on board.
• 🌉 The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the incident, with their bridge team finding no initial damage to the Brooklyn Bridge.

Circumstances of the Crash

• 🚢 The vessel, a 300 ft tall ship from Mexico, was reportedly attempting to sail south down the East River but instead crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge.
• ↩️ Eyewitness accounts and data suggest the ship was accelerating backwards into the bridge, not drifting.
• ⏱️ Ship tracking data shows the vessel departed at 8:20 p.m., began accelerating backward at 8:23 p.m., and struck the bridge one minute later.

Key Questions for Investigators

• ❓ Investigators are seeking to understand why the ship was accelerating backward, with a central question being at what point the vessel began accelerating.
• ⚙️ Potential causes being explored include crew disorientation, the crew realizing they were driving in reverse, or a transmission malfunction given the engine was apparently running.
• 📹 Evidence includes electronic data, interviews with the captain and crew, and numerous cell phone videos from onlookers.

Impact and Casualties

• 💔 The crash resulted in the deaths of 21-year-old America Yamlet Sanchez and fellow cadet Adalier Marcos.
• 🤕 22 sailors were injured, with two remaining hospitalized.
• 🪵 The ship's three wooden masts snapped upon impact with the bridge deck.

Expert Analysis

• 🌊 Maritime historian Sel Maragliano noted a wake coming off the stern, indicating the vessel was moving forward through the water, which is consistent with it moving in reverse relative to its intended direction.
• ⚠️ He estimates it took less than 2 minutes from engaging the engine to realizing they were going astern, with little margin for error due to the ship's proximity to the bridge.