Pilot’s Quick Thinking Averts Baltimore Bridge Collapse: Dropped Anchor When Power Went Out for 1 Minute

March 28, 2024 TruthUSA

A pilot on board the cargo ship that crashed into the Baltimore bridge attempted to avoid a collision by dropping its port anchor to pivot it away, according to authorities.

The pilot and a second individual on board during the collision will be questioned by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) today.

The US Coast Guard verified that the container ship’s engines had received routine maintenance while at the Baltimore port.

During a press conference, officials disclosed that one of the Dali’s pilots deployed the port anchor in an attempt to steer it clear of the Francis Scott Key bridge.

Data retrieved from the ship’s voyage data recorder (VDR) indicated a momentary power failure for one minute and three seconds as it approached the structure, leading to the collision becoming seemingly unavoidable.

The VDR, described as “basic” in comparison to aircraft recorders, ceased recording sensor data during the outage but continued to capture audio of the pilot issuing steering commands and rudder orders, providing a timeline leading up to the impact:

00:39:00 VDR documented the ship’s departure from Seagirt Marine Terminal

01:07 ship entered the Fort McHenry Channel

01:24 ship was heading along a true course of approximately 141 degrees at a speed of 8 knots / 9.2mph

01:24:59 Audible alarms sounded on the ship’s bridge audio – simultaneously, the VDR stopped recording sensor data but continued to record audio from a redundant power source

01:26:02 Sensor data recording resumed on the VDR. Steering commands and rudder orders were captured during this time

01:26:39 Pilot issued a general VHF call for nearby tugs to assist. Simultaneously, the power of association dispatcher contacted the Maryland Transport Authority (MDTA) duty officer about the blackout

01:27:04 Pilot instructed the DALI to drop the port anchor and issued additional steering commands

01:27:25 Pilot broadcasted over the VHF radio that the DALI had lost all power and was heading towards the bridge. Around this time, MDTA data indicated the duty officer informed on-site units about the situation due to bridge construction, leading to traffic closure. All lanes were subsequently shut down by MDTA

01:29:00 ship’s speed was just under 7 knots / 8pmh and between 0129:00 to 01:29:33 the ship’s audio captured the bridge collision

01:29:39 Pilot reported the bridge collapse over the coast guard radio

An official also mentioned that the Key Bridge was fracture-critical, meaning “if a member fails that would likely cause a portion of, or the entire bridge, to collapse, there’s no redundancy”.

NTSB board chair Jennifer Homendy added that nearly 17,500 fracture-critical bridges exist in the US according to the Federal Highway Administration.

Homendy remarked: “It’s quite devastating, not just observing the cargo containers, but witnessing the collapse of a bridge span – three bridge spans that are virtually gone. It’s truly devastating.”

This news followed the recovery of two victims from a red pick-up truck discovered 25 feet deep in the Patapsco River.

The identified recovered individuals are Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, 35, from Mexico residing in Baltimore, and Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, 26, from Guatemala residing in Dundalk, Maryland.

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Earlier on Wednesday, the first two missing construction workers were named as Miguel Luna, a 49-year-old from El Salvador, and Maynard Sandoval, a 37-year-old father of two. Two additional individuals remain missing and are presumed deceased.

The recovery mission has transitioned to a salvage operation due to unsafe conditions for divers around debris and concrete in the port.

The victims, representing Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala, were part of a crew repairing potholes on the bridge’s road surface during the collapse.

The Key Bridge carried the Interstate 695 highway over the Patapsco River southeast of the Baltimore metropolitan area.

President Joe Biden has committed to visiting Baltimore “as soon as possible” and ensuring that the federal government covers the “full cost” of rebuilding the bridge, estimated at over $600m (£474m) by experts.

The main section of the Key Bridge spanned 1,200 feet, making it one of the world’s longest continuous truss bridges upon completion, according to the National Steel Bridge Alliance.

The Dali had a prior minor incident when it collided with a quay at the Port of Antwerp in Belgium in 2016, sustaining damage as reported by Vessel Finder and maritime accident site Shipwrecklog.