Inspections of Brooklyn Bridge in New York City determined that when the Mexican Navy sailing ship crashed into the landmark Saturday night, killing two people on board, the structure's load-bearing elements did not cause any major damage.
The New York City Department of Transportation announced the finding in an article on X, a press conference held by the National Transportation and Safety Commission (NTSB).
“This morning, Commissioner Rodriguez investigated the Brooklyn Bridge after the weekend’s bridge strike,” the city agency said. “Despite the inspection, there were no signs of structural damage to the bridge.”
NTSB officials told reporters that its highway safety office's bridge team is working with the New York DOT and confirming the lack of structural damage to the bridge.
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Authorities leaned towards the view of the Mexican Navy's tall ships after authorities hit the Brooklyn Bridge in Manhattan, New York on Saturday. (Kyle Mazza/Anadolu via Getty Images)
"At this point, they have confirmed that there is no significant structural damage to the load-bearing elements of the bridge," said Michael Graham, a member of the NTSB board. "At this point, there will be some damage to one of the travelers they use to visit and investigate the bridge. But the bridge has no structural properties … This is a problem with the plan."
NTSB Investigator Brian Young told reporters that, based on preliminary navigational data, the Mexican navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc arrived in New York City on May 13 at about noon and docked port side at pier 17. The vessel remained docked for about four days, before pushing away from the dock at about 8:20 pm on May 17, with the assistance of a tugboat.
"The purpose is to sail south, to head south along the East River, toward the sea," Young said.
A preliminary investigation examined weather data, which showed about 10 knots of westerly winds and the current was running towards the bridge at a speed of about 0.3 knots.
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NTSB board member Michael Graham spoke with reporters about an investigation that led to a Mexican Navy tall ship strike on the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday night. (Fox News)
He continued that the ship's speed increased to about 6 knots, and at 8:24, VHF radio sounded like help from other tugs in the Brooklyn Bridge area.
"There were two other aid requests followed, and at 8:24:45 the ship's mast hit under the Brooklyn Bridge," Young said. "At 8:27, the ship stopped and at 8:30, both the NYPD and FDNY assets were on site."
NTSB members arrived in New York City on Sunday, and Monday was the first day after staff began investigating the incident.
Graham said the team was there to collect evidence of perishable decay, which would take as many days as possible.
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The New York City Department of Transportation inspected the Brooklyn Bridge after the Mexican Navy sailboat crash and found that it had no major damage to the load-bearing structure. (New York Point/x)
He also said it was the beginning of a long process, telling reporters that the investigation could take between 12 and 24 months.
Within 30 days, Graham and his team will provide preliminary reports, but throughout the process, he stressed that the team will not draw conclusions, speculate or identify possible causes when on site.
The investigation will involve viewing crew members, crew operations, vessels and their conditions, as well as navigational factors such as weather, wind and tides.
On Monday morning, NTSB set up various teams to study nautical operations, marine engineering, bridge engineering, survival factors and audio recorders.
Young told reporters that the convoy did not know if the ship had a recorder, such as a black box.
Video display
A Mexican Navy tall ship crashed into the Brooklyn Bridge on Saturday. (@thewillienelson/x)
"Once our recorder group boards the vessel, we will conduct a comprehensive assessment of any recording equipment and we will capture that information and retrieve the information," he said.
A reporter asked Graham and Young about preliminary information released by the New York Police Department (NYPD) that indicated that there was a power outage that could cause the ship to collide with the bridge.
"We don't know where they get this data," Graham said. "Brian has told us that we don't even have the chance to access the engine yet, so, we don't know. We don't have the chance to see if there is any recorded data or something like that. So we're not sure where they got it, but that's part of the investigation. If anyone has such information, where we get it, don't we know?" ”
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NTSB investigators will speak with witnesses, crew, tug operators and others to help get a comprehensive understanding of what caused the ship to crash on Saturday night. They will also look for surveillance cameras in the area to help piece together the puzzle.
Nevertheless, Graham reiterated that all information provided to journalists during the press conference was preliminary and could change throughout the investigation.
He encourages anyone who has conducted videos of this incident on his phone to contact Divestal@ntsb.gov to notify investigators of the video. NTSB will then provide a link that can upload the video.