BALTIMORE — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has provided a preliminary timeline that details what happened prior to the collapse of the Francis Scott Key Bridge.
The NTSB Chair Jennifer Homendy who provided the update, said federal investigators are still in the information-gathering stage at the scene of the collapse.
The timeline provided is based on the data obtained from the cargo ship's voyage data recorder (VDR). Homendy says the VDR was recovered by the Coast Guard the morning of the accident. She added that the VDR provides a "snapshot" of the major systems of the vessel which is why she was calling the information preliminary.
Timeline provided by the NTSB:
- 1:07 a.m. EDT, the ship entered the Fort McHenry Channel
- 1:24:39 a.m. EDT, numerous aural alarms were recorded on the ship's bridge audio
- 1:26:39 a.m. EDT, the ship's pilot made a radio call for tug boats in the vicinity of Dali to assist.
- Around 1:27:25 a.m. EDT, the pilot issued a radio call and reported the DALI had lost all power approaching the Key Bridge. The Maryland Department of Transportation (MDTA) shut down the Francis Scott Key Bridge
- Around 1:29:39 the pilot reported the Key Bridge had collapsed
The NTSB says the VDR was able to record sound that they believe to be of the moment the ship crashed into the bridge but further investigation is needed to determine the exact moment the collision occurred.
Federal authorities say 21 crew members and two pilots are on board the container ship that currently has power but cannot move.
NTSB says the DALI was carrying 56 containers of hazardous materials and that some of those containers have been breached which has made the area dangerous for investigators. Officials were unable to tell us what those materials are and how many of those are actually in the water, but they said some are flammable and both state and federal authorities have been notified.
Homendy says she is aware of the reports about potential electrical outages, but could not confirm if the DALI had experienced issues before the crash.
"We don't have any information of outages on board the vessel prior to that time. Certainly, we are going to look at what we can get from the VDR data," she said. She added that the VDR should have data collected from the last 30 days.
On a daily average, 30,760 vehicles traveled on the Key Bridge according to federal authorities.
The bridge, which was built in 1976, was evaluated by federal officials in May 2023 and was determined to be what Homenday called, "satisfactory condition."
Homenday said interviews with the crew members on the ship and people who were around the bridge will continue in the upcoming days.
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