Preliminary Report: Railroad DCA15MR010
Executive Summary
The information in this report is preliminary and will be supplemented or corrected during the course of the investigation
On May 12, 2015, at 9:21 pm eastern daylight
time, northbound Amtrak passenger train no. 188 derailed at MP 81.62
near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The train had seven-cars and one
locomotive. The train had just entered the Frankford Junction curve at a
speed of 106 mph where the speed is restricted to 50 mph.
As the train
entered the curve, the engineer applied the emergency brakes. Seconds
later, the locomotive and all seven passenger cars derailed. Of the 250
passengers and eight Amtrak employees that were on board, eight
passengers were killed and more than 200 others were transported to area
hospitals. Damage is estimated by Amtrak in excess of $9.2 million. The
weather at the time of the accident was reported to be 82˚F with a
westerly wind of 20 mph, with clear skies, and good visibility.
Figure 1. Train at point of rest following the derailment
Figure 2. Two passenger cars on their side and the remains of a damaged passenger car
The damaged cars and locomotive were transported to Amtrak facilities in Delaware for further examination.
Investigators have examined the train braking systems, signals, and track geometry. Thus far, no anomalies have been noted.
Based on the NTSB’s preliminary review of the
train’s event recorder data, the train was travelling at 106 mph before
the emergency brake system engaged. The data indicated that the
engineer activated the emergency brakes seconds before the derailment.
The NTSB has possession of the Amtrak
engineer’s cell phone and has obtained the cell phone records. NTSB
forensic experts are examining the phone and phone records. Although the
records appear to indicate that calls were made, text messages sent,
and data used on the day of the accident, investigators have not yet
made a determination if there was any phone activity during the time the
train was being operated. Investigators are in the process of
correlating the time stamps in the engineer’s cell phone records with
multiple data sources including the locomotive event recorder, the
locomotive outward facing video, recorded radio communications, and
surveillance video.
The NTSB is investigating reports of vandals
throwing rocks or other objects at passing trains around the time of the
derailment. Damage to locomotive windshields and to at least one
passenger car has been reported. The Amtrak 188 locomotive windshield
has impact damage, however, it has not been determined if the damage was
from a thrown object or as a result of the derailment. The NTSB was
assisted by the FBI in evaluating the damage to the locomotive
windshield which found no evidence of damage that could have been caused
by a firearm.
The parties to the investigation include the
Federal Railroad Administration, National Railroad Passenger Corporation
(Amtrak); Philadelphia Police Department; Philadelphia Office of
Emergency Services; Philadelphia Fire Department; Brotherhood of
Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen; International Association of Sheet
Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers; and the Brotherhood of
Maintenance of Way Employees.