Shutdown halted crash probes, could cost critical evidence
Source: Associated Press
Shutdown halted crash probes, could cost critical evidence
By TOM KRISHER
January 28, 2019
DETROIT (AP) The 35-day partial government shutdown stopped the National Transportation Safety Board from dispatching investigators to 22 accidents that killed 30 people, jeopardizing some perishable evidence, the agency said Monday.
The NTSB will start investigations, but with some crashes now weeks old, critical lost evidence potentially could prevent determination of probable cause for those accidents, the agency said in a statement.
The safety board determines the cause of transportation accidents and makes recommendations to prevent them. It had to furlough 367 of 397 employees during the 35-day shutdown. Although it recalled four investigators, they worked without pay to support probes of three international aircraft crashes, the statement said.
The accidents with delayed investigations included 15 involving aircraft that caused 21 deaths, two on railroads resulting in two deaths and two highway crashes, one of which killed seven people.
The agency said it couldnt evaluate six other accidents to figure out if it should send investigators.
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