Baltimore bridge collapse: Timeline revealed by NTSB in cargo ship crash

BALTIMORE (WBFF) — The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) provided a timeline Wednesday of the events that led to a cargo ship crashing into the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore causing it to collapse.

A preliminary timeline was shared with information from the Voyage Data Reporter (VDR) and details the first sign of distress happened around three minutes before the crash at 1:29 a.m.

Six construction workers on the bridge are now presumed dead and two of their bodies were found trapped in a submerged truck by divers on Wednesday. Search efforts for the remaining four will continue after salvage crews can clear underwater debris which is possibly encasing their remains.

The NTSB is as follows:

• Around 12:39 a.m.: The ship departed from Seagirt Marine Terminal.
• 1:07 a.m.: The ship entered the Fort McHenry Channel.
• 1:24:59 a.m.: Numerous aural alarms were recorded on the ship’s bridge audio.
• 1:26:02: Steering commands and rudder orders were captured on audio.
• 1:26:39: The ship’s pilot made a radio call for tugs in the general vicinity to assist. This was detailed as the first sign of needing help. Around this time, the MDTA duty officer was called regarding the blackout.
• 1:27:04: The pilot ordered for the port anchor to be dropped and made additional steering commands.
• 1:27:25: The pilot issued a radio call reporting that the Dali had lost all power and was approaching the bridge.
• Around 1:29 a.m.: The ship's speed was recorded at just under 8 miles per hour.
• 1:29:33: The VDR audio recorded sounds consistent with the collision of the bridge. Around this time MDTA dash cameras show the bridge lights extinguishing.
• 1:29:39: The pilot reported to the U.S. Coast Guard that the bridge was down.

NTSB also shared that the bridge is a ‘fractured critical’ bridge, meaning that if one part of the bridge falls, the whole thing will fall. This style of bridge has no redundancies, which is not how bridges are preferred to be made now.

The bridge’s last inspection was in May 2023, and was deemed to be in “satisfactory condition.”

NTSB confirmed that many tons of hazardous materials on board have been “breached” and a sheen can be seen in the water.

An additional analysis will need to be done to determine the exact time of contact between the ship and the bridge.

The investigation will take between 12 and 24 months. A preliminary report will be released in 2-4 weeks.

___

Editor's note: The National Desk contributed to this article.