• U.S.

Amtrak Engineer Wasn’t Texting or Making Calls Before Fatal Crash, Investigators Say

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Christopher Hart National Transportation Safety Board
National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Chairman Christopher Hart, center, waits with his staff on Capitol Hill in Washington, June 2, 2015, prior to testifying before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee oversight hearing of the Amtrak train derailment in Philadelphia.Cliff Owen—AP
By Justin Worland

Authorities say the engineer driving Amtrak Train 188 was not texting or making calls on his cell phone before the train’s fatal derailment last month, but they are still investigating whether he was using phone in an offline mode, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Wednesday.

NTSB investigators have determined that engineer Brandon Bostian did not place calls, send text messages or use data immediately preceding the crash. He also did not access the train’s wi-fi network. Still, they haven’t yet been able to determine whether his phone was still being used while in “airplane mode” or was powered off completely. Investigators are piecing through more than 400,000 files of metadata to determine whether the phone was on or off. Bostian is cooperating with the investigation and provided the NTSB with access to his cell phone.

The derailment killed eight people and left more than 200 injured. The train was traveling at more than twice the posted speed limit when it derailed going through a curve north of Philadelphia.

See Photos of the Amtrak Train Crash in Philadelphia

Emergency personnel work the scene of the Amtrak train wreck on May 12, 2015 in Philadelphia.
Emergency personnel work the scene of the Amtrak train wreck on May 12, 2015 in Philadelphia.Joseph Kaczmarek—AP
Emergency personnel work the scene of the Amtrak train wreck on May 12, 2015 in Philadelphia.
Emergency personnel work the scene of the Amtrak train wreck on May 12, 2015 in Philadelphia.Joseph Kaczmarek—AP
Emergency personnel help a passenger at the scene of the Amtrak train wreck on May 12, 2015 in Philadelphia.
Emergency personnel help a passenger at the scene of the Amtrak train wreck on May 12, 2015 in Philadelphia.Joseph Kaczmarek—AP
Rescue workers climb into the wreckage of a derailed Amtrak train to search for victims in Philadelphia on May 12, 2015.
Rescue workers climb into the wreckage of a derailed Amtrak train to search for victims in Philadelphia on May 12, 2015.Bryan Woolston—Reuters
Emergency personnel work the scene of a train wreck on May 12, 2015, in Philadelphia.
Emergency personnel work the scene of a train wreck on May 12, 2015, in Philadelphia.Joseph Kaczmarek—AP
Emergency personnel work the scene of the Amtrak train wreck on May 12, 2015 in Philadelphia.
Emergency personnel work the scene of the Amtrak train wreck on May 12, 2015 in Philadelphia.Joseph Kaczmarek—AP
A crime scene investigator looks inside a train car after a train wreck on May 12, 2015, in Philadelphia.
A crime scene investigator looks inside a train car after a train wreck on May 12, 2015, in Philadelphia.Joseph Kaczmarek—AP
A police officer takes a seat near the wreckage of an Amtrak passenger train which derailed in Philadelphia on May 12, 2015.
A police officer takes a seat near the wreckage of an Amtrak passenger train which derailed in Philadelphia on May 12, 2015.Mark Makela—Getty Images
Officials survey the site of a derailed Amtrak train in Philadelphia on May 13, 2015.
Officials survey the site of a derailed Amtrak train in Philadelphia on May 13, 2015. Mike Segar—Reuters

 

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Write to Justin Worland at justin.worland@time.com