NTSB -- NTSB IDENTIFIES FATIGUED DRIVER IN FATAL MOTORCOACH OVERTURN; CALLS FOR IMPROVED MOTOR CARRIER OVERSIGHT

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NTSB PRESS RELEASE

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National Transportation Safety Board

Washington, DC 20594

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 8, 2009

SB-09-64

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NTSB IDENTIFIES FATIGUED DRIVER IN FATAL MOTORCOACH

OVERTURN; CALLS FOR IMPROVED MOTOR CARRIER OVERSIGHT

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The National Transportation Safety Board today determined

that the January 2008 fatal crash of a motorcoach near

Victoria, Texas, was caused by the driver's loss of control

of the vehicle after he fell asleep at the wheel. The 42-

year old driver drifted off the road, but then reacted by

oversteering the vehicle once he regained awareness. The

driver subsequently lost control of the motorcoach and it

overturned on its right side.

One passenger was fatally injured, 17 passengers sustained

major injuries, and the driver and 29 passengers received

minor injuries. The Safety Board found that passengers were

injured by partial ejections from the motorcoach and by

striking objects and other passengers inside the motorcoach

when it overturned.

On the morning of January 2, 2008, a 2005 Volvo motorcoach

operated by Capricorn Bus Lines, Inc., under International

Charter Services, Inc.'s operating authority, was traveling

northbound on U.S. Highway 59 near Victoria, Texas. The

motorcoach, en route from Monterrey, Mexico, to Houston,

Texas, was carrying 47 passengers. Approximately 5 miles

south of Victoria, the driver fell asleep, partially ran off

the road, and then, after overcorrecting, lost control of

the motorcoach which overturned on its right side. Within

five minutes, a northbound pickup truck struck the underside

of the motorcoach.

Major safety issues identified by this accident

investigation focused on driver fatigue; lack of Federal

Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA)oversight of

passenger motor carriers in the areas of operating

authority, leasing agreements, scope of operating authority

violations, safety rating methodology, and the New Entrant

Safety Assurance Program; and registration and use of non-

Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS)-compliant,

passenger-carrying vehicles in commercial motor carrier

operations in the United States.

"When we looked at the specific chain of events that led to

this tragic accident, we also found numerous holes in the

federal regulatory environment that allows a non-compliant

motorcoach to be registered and operated on U.S. roadways,"

said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P. Hersman. "The traveling

public should expect that any motorcoach they ride complies

with all of the safety criteria imposed on every other

commercial passenger vehicle within our borders."

As a result of its investigation, the NTSB issued 19 safety

recommendations: one to the U.S. Department of

Transportation (DOT), 11 to the FMCSA, two to the National

Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), and to the

U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP); and one each to the

Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA), the American

Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators (AAMVA), and the

International Registration Plan (IRP). This report

reclassifies one previously issued recommendation to the

FMCSA and also reiterates two previously issued

recommendations to the FMCSA.

Among the recommendations, the NTSB urges NHTSA and FMCSA to

work in conjunction with CBP and implement a process to

detect motor carriers operating motorcoaches or other

passenger-carrying commercial motor vehicles that do not

meet U.S. safety standards. Once detected, these non-

compliant vehicles should be placed out of service.

In addition, the NTSB urges the FMCSA to deny or revoke

operating authority for commercial interstate motor carriers

who fail to disclose any prior operating relationship with

another motor carrier, prior operations as another motor

carrier, or previously holding a different US DOT number.

A synopsis of the accident investigation report, including

the findings, probable cause, and safety recommendations,

can be found on the Board Meetings page of the NTSB's

website, http://www.ntsb.gov/events/Boardmeeting.htm. The

complete report will be available on the website in several

weeks.

# # #

NTSB Media Contact: Bridget Serchak

202-314-6100

Bridget.serchak@xxxxxxxx

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