NTSB analyzes ship's onboard data for clues to collision that caused collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge

BALTIMORE — Data capturing the moments before the container ship Dali struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge has been secured by the National Transportation Safety Board and is being analyzed by the federal agency’s lab, officials confirmed Wednesday.

Large ships are required by international regulations to carry voyage data recorders that, similar to the “black box” found on aircraft, help investigators piece together key decisions and actions.

If the equipment works properly and the data can be verified, it can provide information that serves as a “road map” of what the ship was doing in the lead-up to a casualty event, said Lawrence Brennan, an adjunct professor with Fordham University’s School of Law who teaches a maritime law course.

The bridge collapsed early Tuesday. Six members of a crew repairing potholes on its deck remained missing Wednesday afternoon in the Patapsco River and were presumed dead. Searchers continued to look underwater for their remains.

Spokespeople for the NTSB did not immediately respond to an inquiry from The Baltimore Sun about the condition of the Dali’s voyage data recorder and whether it properly captured information.

The NTSB’s chair, Jennifer Homendy, said Tuesday the recorder would be “critical” to the investigation.

A media briefing by the agency is scheduled for 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Data items captured by recorders can include the ship’s position, speed, direction, the audio in work stations, communications audio, radar, the depth of the water underneath vessels, the alarms going off, wind speed and an electronic logbook.

In this case, it could provide new details about the conversations taking place between a pilot and crew members, the ship’s movement and, potentially, the “mayday” signal that officials say helped prevent more casualties on the Key Bridge. The local pilot was on board to guide the ship through the harbor.

The data will likely serve as a first step for investigators probing for the reasons why the ship ran into one of the Key Bridge’s piers, causing it to crumble into the Patapsco.

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