A newly released transcript from the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) reveals the final moments aboard the Dali cargo ship before it crashed into Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge on March 26, 2024, killing six construction workers.
At 1:25 a.m., the ship lost power and steering, triggering alarms and prompting the pilot to urgently request that the bridge be closed. Despite efforts to regain control using the bow thruster, a crew member shouted, “It’s not working,” just before the bridge collapsed.
Audio captured the moment of impact, with the pilot calling for the Coast Guard and confirming, “the Key Bridge is down.” The ship’s master stated they had experienced a blackout and collided with the bridge, though there were no injuries onboard the ship. Thanks to the crew’s advance warning, traffic was stopped in time to prevent more vehicles from being on the bridge when it fell.
Following the disaster, the NTSB revealed that the bridge’s vulnerability to vessel impact was nearly 30 times higher than acceptable limits. It has since recommended safety assessments for similarly designed bridges across 19 U.S. states.
