NTSB to Decide Probable Cause of Baltimore’s Key Bridge Collapse This Week

The National Transportation Safety Board will hold a public board meeting this week to determine the probable cause of the contact of the containership Dali with the Francis Scott Key Bridge and subsequent bridge collapse.

NTSB’s board is expected to vote on the findings, probable cause and safety recommendations as well as any changes to the draft final report.

The meeting will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 9:30 a.m. ET at the NTSB Boardroom and Conference Center in Washington, DC.

The Dali was moving out of Baltimore Harbor on March 26, 2024, when it experienced a loss of electrical power and propulsion and struck the southern pier supporting the central truss spans of the Key Bridge, which subsequently collapsed.

Six construction crewmembers on the bridge at the time of the contact were killed, one construction crewmember was seriously injured, and one crewmember on the Dali was injured.

The public docket for the investigation includes reports, interview transcripts, and other investigative materials.

The meeting comes after NTSB said it would investigate all aspects of the accident to determine the probable cause and identify potential safety recommendations.

According to NTSB’s preliminary report, electrical breakers unexpectedly opened when the vessel was three ship lengths from the bridge, causing a loss of electrical power to all shipboard lighting and most equipment, including the main engine cooling water pumps. The loss of electrical power to the pumps resulted in the main engine being automatically shut down, and the vessel lost main propulsion, meaning its propeller stopped, the investigators reported.

The tragedy and investigation prompted NTSB to conduct vulnerability assessments of bridges around the country. The NTSB found that the Key Bridge was almost 30 times above the acceptable risk threshold for critical or essential bridges, according to guidance established by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO).

NTSB identified 68 bridges in 19 states that were designed before the AASHTO guidance was established — like the Key Bridge — that do not have a current vulnerability assessment. The NTSB recommended that these bridges be evaluated to assess the risk of bridge collapse from a vessel collision.

The NTSB criticized Maryland officials for failing to conduct a risk assessment of the Key Bridge before it collapsed.

The state has maintained that the collapse was solely the fault of the Dali and its owners.

Almost a year after the bridge collapsed, Maryland officials unveiled their designs for its replacement, which will be taller and better protected against ship strikes. Officials hope the construction of the new bridge can be completed by October 2028. The cost is estimated. at $2 billion.

Top Photo: Key Bridge collision, NTSB photo.