NTSB: Loss of situational awareness caused Amtrak 188 derailment

Written by Mischa Wanek-Libman, editor
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Vice Chairman Bella Dinh-Zarr questions staff during board meeting on Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, derailment.
NTSB

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) voted 3-1 to determine the probable cause of the May 12, 2015 Amtrak 188 derailment in Philadelphia to be the locomotive engineer's loss of situational awareness.

 

Brandon Bostian was operating Amtrak 188 when he accelerated to 106 mph and entered a curve with a speed limit of 50 mph. The train derailed, killing eight and injuring close to 200.

Amtrak 188 passed a Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) train with a shattered windshield prior to the derailment. NTSB officials noted that Bostian was concerned for the SEPTA engineer, who had requested medical attention, based on an experience a friend of Bostian’s had with a severe eye injury following a shattered windshield incident in California. NTSB also said Bostian was concerned SEPTA may have had people on the ground inspecting the disabled train while he was passing and blew a warning signal per regulations.

There are varying speeds along the route Amtrak 188 would have traversed and NTSB Member Robert Sumwalt said Bostian, despite his training and familiarity with the route, essentially got lost and in a matter of seconds, went from “distraction to disaster.”

The official language of the probable cause voted on by the NTSB is as follows: NTSB determines the probable cause of the accident was the engineer’s acceleration to 106 mph as he entered a curve with a 50mph speed restriction due to loss of situational awareness likely because his attention was diverted to an emergency situation with another train. Contributing to the accident was the lack of a Positive Train Control (PTC) system. Contributing to the severity of injuries was the inadequate require for occupant protection in the event of a train overturning.

NTSB Vice Chairman Bella Dinh-Zarr was the lone vote against the probable cause wording. She had introduced an amendment that would have named a lack of a PTC system as the probable cause instead of contributing to it. However, other board members argued that a train’s locomotive engineer was solely responsible for the safe operation of a train and PTC was intended as a back up safety system should an engineer falter in that responsibility.

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