NTSB investigators detail warning whistles and emergency orders captured on the tanker's voyage recorder before the New Orleans riverboat collision.
A tanker suffered a steering problem about two minutes before slamming into a docked New Orleans riverboat Friday, federal investigators said Sunday, detailing warning whistles, calls for help and emergency orders before the collision.
The Atlantic Asphalt was heading upriver near the Crescent City Connection Bridge at about 12:26 p.m. when its rudder remained turned to the right, sending the ship toward the Mississippi River’s east bank, National Transportation Safety Board senior marine accident investigator Bart Barnum said.
The tanker struck American Cruise Lines’ American Heritage at about 12:28 p.m. The riverboat capsized in about 22 minutes, according to preliminary information presented by the NTSB.
Investigators downloaded more than nine hours of data from the tanker’s voyage data recorder, including bridge audio, rudder angle, engine RPM, course and speed.
The recordings captured sounds consistent with the ship’s whistle, warnings and requests for assistance over its marine radio, commands to deploy anchors and emergency shiphandling orders, Barnum said.
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Officials described the steering problem as a "steering casualty," but cautioned that the term does not establish what went wrong.
"It could be many different things. That is something that we are investigating very closely," Barnum said.
NTSB board member John DeLeeuw said investigators have data on the tanker’s speed but are still analyzing it before releasing it publicly. Video showed anchors were down, but investigators are still determining which ones were deployed and how far, he said.
The findings follow a frantic rescue effort that officials said left everyone aboard the American Heritage alive. Roughly 100 people were pulled from the Mississippi River, while responders evacuated more than 80 before the vessel overturned, Port of New Orleans Harbor Police Chief Melanie Montroll said Saturday.
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"This is a miracle. It is a literal miracle on the Mississippi," Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry said Friday.
Eight people remained hospitalized Saturday, including two in serious condition. The other six were stable, officials said.
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The NTSB said Sunday that 140 passengers and 50 crew members were aboard the riverboat, a total of 190.
Moreno also said the American Heritage’s captain was injured but stayed aboard until passengers and crew were accounted for, becoming the last person to leave.
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"Every moment of the critical time [Friday], he did not want to leave his ship," Moreno said Saturday.
Coast Guard Capt. Melanie Burnham said Saturday that crews were preparing to remove 16,000 gallons of fuel before salvage operations, warning that removing the capsized vessel could take weeks. DeLeeuw said Sunday that divers had been in the water, with salvage work overseen by the Coast Guard and salvage companies.
Interviews with American Heritage crew members were underway Sunday. Interviews with the Atlantic Asphalt’s crew were scheduled to begin Monday and continue through the week, Barnum said.
The NTSB expects to release a preliminary report within about 30 days. Sunday’s briefing was its last planned on-site news conference, DeLeeuw said, with further updates to be posted online.
Fox News Digital's Brittany Miller contributed to this report.
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