Amtrak engineer recalls opening throttle before fatal crash

Fatal Amtrak crash remains unsolved Federal investigators released thousands of pages concerning the fatal derailment of an Amtrak passenger train past year in Philadelphia, but the main mystery of what caused the crash remains unexplained.

On the eve of new findings into a deadly Amtrak derailment in Philadelphia previous year – which killed eight people and injured 200 others – the Acela Express train 2222 was hit by a foreign object as it passed through the Bridesburg section of Philadelphia shortly before 7pm Sunday.

The documents are available on the NTSB’s website at NTSB.govAlso among the evidence are transcripts of two interviews investigators had with the engineer, Brandon Bostian.

The incident occurred near where an Amtrak train derailed in May, killing eight people and injuring more than 200. Investigators are looking into whether a projectile also hit that train, in an area notorious for rock throwing and similar mischief.

The release marks a shift in the investigation from the gathering of factual information to analyzing it for a probable cause and recommendations to avoid a future derailment.

Authorities later found no evidence of damage from gunfire on the locomotive’s windshield or engine.

Investigators have so far concluded that the train was traveling around 106 miles per hour, around a sharp curve just outside Philadelphia.

As the train tilted, Bostian remembered lurching to the right, but didn’t remember many details about what led him to that point. But it was not immediately clear if the object hitting the windshield played any role in the Amtrak train crash.

In June, the NTSB determined that Bostian wasn’t using his mobile phone prior to the crash. Adding to case against the government, attorneys say, is its failure to install safety equipment on the north bound track that would have automatically caused the train to slow as it approached the curve.

Bostian, then 32, was hurled down an embankment and suffered a concussion, and a head wound requiring 14 staples, and injuries to both legs, Goggin said.

The documents represent every fact that the various agencies involved in the investigation, including the NTSB, Amtrak, local emergency responders and rail worker unions, have agreed upon.

Goggin – who noted that Bostian voluntarily turned over a blood sample and his cell phone – maintains the train operator was not drunk, drugged, or operating his phone at the time of the crash.

According to Bloomberg, the speed of the Amtrak train has become a main focus in the crash probe investigation.