The National Transportation Safety Board just said that the master of a Washington State ferry fell asleep at the wheel before it ran into its dock in Seattle.
The NTSB’s report on the accident said the master, who was at the helm of the 328-foot-long ferry at the time, had ceased rudder commands about 30 seconds before it hit a dolphin at its cruising speed of 15 knots. The accident caused $10 million worth of damage. Only one person suffered a minor injury.
The NTSB said the master had no recollection of the events before the accident and was not aware of how the ferry hit the dolphin. It said he probably had a lapse of consciousness caused by fatigue.
An earlier investigation by Washington State Ferries said the master had lost situational awareness for unknown reasons; he had refused to answer any questions during the investigation.
The ferry, Cathlamet, left its terminal on Vashon Island on lower Puget Sound on its regular run to Fauntleroy Ferry Terminal on the mainland at 8:03 a.m. on July 28, 2022. The ferry can carry 124 cars on two decks and 1,200 passengers on a third. Only 94 passengers were on board on this morning.
About 15 minutes later, the Cathlamet hit the dolphin at the Fauntleroy Terminal. The impact caused extensive damage around the port deck, causing about a 30-foot section of the passenger deck to collapse.
The NTSB report said, “A passenger who had been standing on the portside passenger deck forward saw that the vessel was about to strike the dolphin and started to move toward the house. When the ferry struck the dolphin, the area where he had been standing collapsed from the impact. He hung onto a railing which prevented him from falling onto the damaged deck below.
“When the deck collapsed, the port passenger deck structure also folded onto the car deck and penetrated the interior of a parked car, just missing the occupant who was sitting in the driver’s seat.”
Read the NTSN report here: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/MIR2321.pdf
