PA - Amtrak train from Washington crashes in Philadelphia, May 2015

[BetteDavisEyes]

Philadelphia Train Crash: NTSB Meeting With Brandon Bostian, Engineer in Amtrak Derailment

Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board were meeting on Friday with Brandon Bostian, the engineer of the Amtrak train that crashed in Philadelphia, sources told NBC News.

There was no immediate word on where the meeting was taking place. The NTSB was expected to brief reporters on Friday afternoon...

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/am...sb-meeting-engineer-amtrak-derailment-n359666

 

[Hatfield]

This article shows some of the online postings he made. How ironic it would be if it turns out he ended up causing the accident by trying to prove something about safety. Gosh I sure hope that is not the case here.

http://nypost.com/2015/05/14/amtrak-engineer-had-ranted-online-for-more-safeguards/

 

[Bravo]

O/T verdict in Boston Bombing case. To be read shortly per CNN

 

[Hatfield]

O/T verdict in Boston Bombing case. To be read shortly per CNN

Thanks Bravo for the udpate.

 

[KEVINinTO]

Amtrak engineer apparently touted safety tools to override human error


http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/15/us/philadelphia-amtrak-train-derailment/index.html

Long before Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188 jumped the rails at excessive speed, engineer Brandon Bostian apparently was an online advocate to prevent this kind of calamity -- technology to slow a dangerously fast train when an engineer does not.

"They have had nearly a hundred years of opportunity to implement SOME sort of system to mitigate human error," one post read. "But with a few notable exceptions (the rail industry) has failed to do so."

This message was one of several in recent years appearing to be written by Bostian on TrainOrders.com,

 

[jjenny]

This is another scary thought and more speculating.

What if he was told that the new "PTC system" was already in place on that track and he was doing his own testing of it?

...

I think that's a very good theory. Apparently the system was already installed but not yet turned on. What if this guy was under mistaken impression that they system was already turned on?

 

[KEVINinTO]

NTSB Presser on CNN right now

Engineer has been "very cooperative"

Also they interviewed an assistant conductor and she recalled hearing Bostian talking with an engineer on a SEPTA train and the SEPTA train engineer had said that his train had be hit or shot at and his window was broken. She also said that she thought she heard Bostian say that his cab had been hit with something.

 

[KEVINinTO]

NTSB tweets

NTSB @NTSB · 11m 11 minutes ago
NTSB today interviewed engineer and both assistant conductors on Train 188. #Amtrak


NTSB @NTSB · 11m 11 minutes ago
Engineer, 32, was extremely cooperative; interview lasted 1.5 hrs. #Amtrak


NTSB @NTSB · 11m 11 minutes ago
Engineer does not remember anything past passing North Philadelphia station. #Amtrak


NTSB @NTSB · 9m 9 minutes ago
Asst. Conductor heard radio transmission from a SEPTA train ahead that had been placed into emergency and stopped. #Amtrak


NTSB @NTSB · 8m 8 minutes ago
Asst. conductor believed she heard radio transmission from her engineer that his locomotive was also being struck. #Amtrak


NTSB @NTSB · 7m 7 minutes ago
NTSB has asked FBI for technical assistance in examining the front of the locomotive. #Amtrak


NTSB @NTSB · 5m 5 minutes ago
NTSB Has secured outward-facing video from the SEPTA train in question and will be reviewing radio transmissions. #Amtrak

 

[jjenny]

NTSB Presser on CNN right now

Engineer has been "very cooperative"

Also they interviewed an assistant conductor and she recalled hearing Bostian talking with an engineer on a SEPTA train and the SEPTA train engineer had said that his train had be hit or shot at and his window was broken. She also said that she thought she heard Bostian say that his cab had been hit with something.

Radio transmission can be reviewed to see what exactly was said.
Even if something was thrown at the train, how would that cause acceleration? SEPTA train didn't accelerate.

 

[KEVINinTO]

Radio transmission can be reviewed to see what exactly was said.
Even if something was thrown at the train, how would that cause acceleration? SEPTA train didn't accelerate.

If the window of the cab was struck by something it would cause a major distraction for the engineer and lead to a lack of situational awareness.

In this picture we can see the window of the cab is shattered. Was this a result of the accident or from projectiles being fired at it?

Picture from CNN

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150513083252-08-amtrak-pa-0513-restricted-super-169.jpg

 

[jjenny]

If the window of the cab was struck by something it would cause a major distraction for the engineer and lead to a lack of situational awareness.

In this picture we can see the window of the cab is shattered. Was this a result of the accident or from projectiles being fired at it?

Picture from CNN

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150513083252-08-amtrak-pa-0513-restricted-super-169.jpg

I would think the impulse would be to slow down rather than to accelerate. SEPTA train was put into emergency stop after being hit, not acceleration. This guy was a very experienced engineer. Apparently it's not uncommon for trains to be hit by something, shouldn't an engineer be able to handle that without freaking out? The other two trains were hit and didn't crash. I can't say what caused the damage by just looking at the photo.

 

[CARIIS]

Our media what will do with them? Idiots. They are carrying on like this guy is a raving angry lunatic about railroad safety. He has a passion about. THey picked up a couple of his postings , totally out of context, and are running em everywhere. This dialog:

“It shouldn’t take an act of Congress to get industry to adopt common-sense safety systems on their own,” is totally out of context. He posted it in response to the 2008 collision of a commuter and freight train in Los Angeles’ Chatsworth neighborhood.

He is on a train forum. He loves trains. A train wwreck that killed 25. He was discussing it with coolegues, a totally understandable activity as it relates to his career.

They like this one to :
I am convinced that a late 1920s-era cab signal system (with speed enforcement, which admittedly is a newer technology that’s only about fifty or sixty years old) would have either completely prevented the Chatsworth disaster or, worst case, would have resulted in a slow-speed impact.”

Proceeding:
“At any point over the previous EIGHTY years the railroad could have voluntarily implemented some form of this technology on the line where the fateful wreck took place. But instead, it took an act of Congress to get them to do it,” a post reads.
again, all in one forum, in a dialog, about a specfic incident that took place. THey pull em and make it sounds like he has an agenda etc. He was discussing a wreck, at one point in time, in his life, three posts -give me a break media.................


Agin totally out of context. He was discussing it - much like we all do here. Ha - if some of our posts wre just "taken" out of the blue, with no notion of what thread were on, ha we could be on CNN as raving lunatics! Thats funny guys

but you get my drift!

He then engaged in a couple of posts complaining about work - well my goodness how rare! “He was always talking about trains....there is nothing IMO, ominious here, where he was at the place to risk killing himself and others, he was moaning about work big deal!

http://nypost.com/2015/05/14/amtrak-engineer-had-ranted-online-for-more-safeguards/

 

[CARIIS]

You'd think the black box would tell if speed was manually increased or not??

It will, second by second, but they have to e very careful about that info so they will probably release that early next week - every input is recorded.

 

[jjenny]

"He said he had "no recollection" of anything that happened once the train passed the North Philadelphia station, according to Sumwalt."

http://www.cnn.com/2015/05/15/us/philadelphia-amtrak-train-derailment/index.html

 

[CARIIS]

Radio transmission can be reviewed to see what exactly was said.
Even if something was thrown at the train, how would that cause acceleration? SEPTA train didn't accelerate.

Every incident is different. But I do think if we took a step back, we have , a widely repseected engineer, totally crack up his train. And then we find out that something very disorirneting might have occurred seconds before acceleartion. He is getting reports of emergency up the line, something hits him, it makes sense that he might have "thought" he was further up the track than he was , with all the distractions occurring. RIght after the curve the speed does go to 100 mph.

It would be a distractrion to find out a train up ahead is stopped, somehting then happens to him and we all know another train had same thing in the same place within a 20 minute time frame - all at the same time.

IMO, the sudden application of the brakes is congurenet with this - we have all done it on expressway have to get over quick cause exit we want is suddenly right there when we "thought" it was two exits up. It strikes me that he relaized Oh s*it..................

It seems reasonable to conclude that some kids were thinking they were gonna have some fun.ANd there is video everywhere with this new angle maybe they can find the kids.......................................

.

 

[CARIIS]

If the window of the cab was struck by something it would cause a major distraction for the engineer and lead to a lack of situational awareness.

In this picture we can see the window of the cab is shattered. Was this a result of the accident or from projectiles being fired at it?

Picture from CNN

http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/150513083252-08-amtrak-pa-0513-restricted-super-169.jpg

WOW! The guy said it was in the left corner- but the three big ones even look like shots! I wish we could find a closeup of the window!

 

[CARIIS]

I would think the impulse would be to slow down rather than to accelerate. This guy was a very experienced engineer. Apparently it's not uncommon for trains to be hit by something, shouldn't an engineer be able to handle that without freaking out? The other two trains were hit and didn't crash. I can't say what caused the damage by just looking at the photo.

Kevin said it perfect "situtionial awareness - a distraction, time warp like thought he was past that curve

 

[CARIIS]

SEPTA trains traveling through the area — including one of the poorest and most violent parts of the city — have had projectiles thrown at them in the past, whether by vandals or teenagers, she said. It was unusual that the SEPTA train was forced to stop on Tuesday night.

deadliest U.S. train accident in nearly six years.

Instead of high-tech signals or automatic controls, engineers on that stretch of track have to rely on their familiarity with the route and a printed timetable they carry with them, not unlike engineers a century ago.
"We're depending heavily on the human engineer to correctly obey and interpret the signals that he sees and also speed limits and other operating requirements," said David B. Clarke, a railroad expert at the University of Tennessee.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/amtrak-ceo-railroad-takes-full-responsibility-crash-31060890

 

[Trident]

"The Latest on Amtrak crash: Was train hit by an object?"

FBI called in
http://news.yahoo.com/latest-amtrak-crash-train-hit-214833636.html

Sorry if this has been posted, I looked but didn't see it.

 

[i.b.nora]

Here is a better, bigger, and in focus shot of the front of the engine:

http://media4.s-nbcnews.com/i/newsc...o-051315_fa571da5d106d530bceb6900e1dce761.jpg