National Transportation Safety Board News

Virginia Train Crash: Railroad Crossing Safety Arms Face Scrutiny

The lead investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board said it’s too early to say whether the safety arms at a rural Virginia crossing were working when a train carrying GOP members of Congress slammed into a trash truck, killing …

Engineer in Fatal Washington Train Crash Didn’t Know Curve Was Ahead

The engineer controlling an Amtrak train that derailed in Washington state in December, killing three people, told investigators he didn’t realize he was coming up on a curve until it was too late. The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday …

NTSB: Speed Control Could Have Prevented Washington Amtrak Crash

The derailment of an Amtrak passenger train in Washington state last month that killed three people may have been prevented if a railway crash-avoidance technology mandated by Congress had been activated, according to the National Transportation Safety Board. Positive Train …

Freight Train Collision in Alabama Injures 4

Two freight trains collided in rural Alabama, injuring four people on board. The Tuscaloosa News reports that that the collision happened Thursday afternoon in Pickens County. The sheriff’s office told the newspaper that four people were seriously injured and were …

Amtrak in Washington 50 Mph Over Speed Limit Before Deadly Derailment

Federal officials confirmed an Amtrak train was hurtling 50 mph over the speed limit when it careened off an overpass south of Seattle, spilling cars onto the highway below and killing at least three people. Bella Dinh-Zarr, a National Transportation …

Fatal Amtrak Crash in Washington State Stirs Safety Debate in D.C.

The deadly Amtrak crash in Washington state marked the railroad’s third fatal accident in as many years, putting the passenger rail operator under fresh scrutiny less than a month after safety regulators issued a scathing report. Bound for Portland, Oregon, …

Additional Runway Incidents at San Francisco Airport Under Investigation

U.S. officials are investigating two more incidents at San Francisco International Airport where planes could have wound up on the same runway, the National Transportation Safety Board said . The incidents include an event in December 2016 when a SkyWest …

NTSB Cites Broken Rail in 2015 Derailment in South Dakota; BNSF Says Changes Made

The National Transportation Safety Board has determined a broken rail probably caused the derailment of a train carrying ethanol two years ago in South Dakota. The NTSB report says BNSF Railway’s decision to defer track maintenance and operate trains carrying …

Year After Texas Balloon Crash, NTSB Wants Medical Certification Exemption Tossed

The National Transportation Safety Board has called on the Federal Aviation Administration to remove its medical certification exemption for commercial balloon operators, saying it contributed to a July 30, 2016, balloon crash in Texas that killed 15 passengers and the …

Drone’s Collision With Army Helicopter Over New York Probed

Federal investigators have opened their first probe of a mid-air collision between a civilian drone and a traditional aircraft. An Army UH-60 helicopter was flying east of Staten Island on Sept. 21 when it collided with a small, consumer Phantom …