The probable cause of the catastrophic March 2024 containership allision and collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge will be determined at a Nov. 18 public hearing, officials at the National Transportation Safety Board said.
The 984’ Panama-flagged Dali was transiting out of Baltimore Harbor, bound for Sr Lanka on March 26, 2024, when it lost electrical power and propulsion, slammed into the southern pier supporting the central truss spans of bridge at 1:28 a.m., dropping the span and six highway construction workers to their deaths in the Patapsco River.
The NTSB’s preliminary investigation revealed that multiple electrical issues aboard the Dali likely set the stage for the accident. One day before departure, the ship experienced two power outages while in port. As the Dali made its way toward leaving the harbor, a complete blackout occurred that investigators to tripped electrical breakers.
The NTSB investigators pinpointed a loose cable in the ship’s electrical system as the likely cause of the failures. Despite efforts to restore power, the ship lost propulsion as it approached the bridge. A mayday call from pilots on the ship alerted police to halt traffic on the bridge just moments before the crash.
In early 2025 cleanup and recovery efforts were estimated to have cost over $100 million but litigation and cross-claims are likely to stretch out settlements for years. Still unresolved too are questions about the adequacy of maritime safety and bridges in U.S. ports that were raised in the aftermath.
During the meeting, the NTSB’s board “will vote on its findings, probable cause and safety recommendations as well as any changes to the draft final report,” the board said in a Nov. 10 advisory. “A synopsis of the board meeting will be available after the meeting concludes. The complete final report will be available in several weeks on NTSB.gov.”
Before the hearing, the public can read additional factual information in the NTSB’s online public docket for the investigation. The docket includes reports, interview transcripts and other investigative materials.
The board will meet Tuesday, Nov. 18 at 9:30 a.m. Eastern time in the NTSB Boardroom and Conference Center, at 429 L’Enfant Plaza, SW, Washington, D.C. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy will take questions from reporters during a media session scheduled to start 30 minutes after the board meeting ends.
For most of its high-profile public hearings, the NTSB typically provides online video livestreaming of those meetings. But if Congress is unable to resolve the government shutdown by Nov. 18, the public will get only “a recording of the board meeting on NTSB.gov for those who cannot attend in person,” the agency says.
