NTSB Investigation: Crew fell asleep before fatal train collision near Emerson

EMERSON – Two crew members killed in an April 17, 2011 train collision between Emerson and Red Oak were asleep at the time of the accident, according to an investigation released Tuesday by the National Transportation and Safety Board.
Tom Anderson and Patricia Hyatt, both 48 and both of Creston, were killed instantly when the 130-car, 18,000-ton coal train they were driving collided with the rear of a stationary 21-car train hauling maintenance equipment.
While the stationary train was visible from nearly a quarter mile away, the colliding train’s emergency brakes were never applied and it was actually gaining speed as it descended down a slight hill.
Because of that evidence, coupled with irregular work schedules and health issues indicating a high risk of sleep disorder, NTSB investigators determined the crew had fallen asleep.
“Once again, this investigation draws attention to the dangers of human fatigue,” said NTSB Chairman Deborah Hersman. “The human body is not designed to work irregular schedules, especially during the circadian trough, when our bodies are at their lowest alertness.”
Contributing to the accident was the absence of a positive train control system that identifies the rear of a train and stops a following train if a safe braking profile is exceeded.
“Humans are fallible and make mistakes and operational accidents can be prevented with positive train control,” Hersman said.
Also contributing to the severity of collision damage to the locomotive cab of the striking coal train was the absence of crashworthiness standards for modular locomotive crew cabs.
As a result of this accident investigation, the NTSB made safety recommendations to the Federal Railroad Administration, the Association of American Railroads, and the BNSF Railway.
The safety issues addressed by the recommendations include: train crew fatigue, BNSF Railway fatigue awareness training, positive train control regulations, design and crashworthiness of modular locomotive cabs, and survivability of electronic data.
The Red Oak Express will publish a full report on the investigation in next week’s edition.