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NTSB PRESS RELEASE *********************************************************** National Transportation Safety Board FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: October 27, 2009 SB-09-60 *********************************************************** NTSB CITES FAILURE OF TIRE, BRIDGE RAILING IN 2008
MOTORCOACH CRASH THAT KILLED 17, INJURED 39 *********************************************************** The National Transportation Safety Board today
determined that the probable cause of a fatal motorcoach accident in Contributing to the severity of the accident was the
failure of the bridge railing to redirect the motorcoach and prevent it from
departing the bridge. The lack of an adequate occupant protection system
contributed to the severity of the passenger injuries. The accident occurred on August 8, 2008, when a 2002
56-passenger motorcoach with a driver and 55 passengers on board departed Major safety issues identified by this accident
investigation include the following safety issues: -
The tire failure and the
need for tire pressure monitoring systems on vehicles over 10,000 pounds. -
The failure of the bridge
railing and the need for criteria for the selection of appropriate bridge
railing designs. -
The lack of oversight of the
Federal commercial vehicle inspections that are delegated to the states. -
The lack of motorcoach
occupant protection systems. -
The deficiencies in Federal
safety oversight of new entrant motor carriers. As a result of its investigation of this accident,
the Safety Board made eight new recommendations in these five safety issue
areas to three Federal agencies: the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), the
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA. Two recommendations were made to the American
Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in the area
of bridge railing design and one recommendation to the American Association of
Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA) regarding tire pressure monitoring
procedures, and one recommendation was made to the motorcoach manufacturer,
Motor Coach Industries, Inc., calling for revised vehicle maintenance manuals. The NTSB also reiterated five previous
recommendations made to FMCSA and NHTSA in the areas of drug and alcohol
testing and motorcoach occupant protection systems. A synopsis of the Board’s report, including the probable cause
and recommendations, is available on the NTSB’s website, www.ntsb.gov, under “Board Meetings.”
The Board’s full report will be available on the website in several
weeks. # #
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