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NTSB ADVISORY
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National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

July 22, 2009

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NTSB ISSUES UPDATE ON INVESTIGATION INTO SAN FRANCISCO
MUNICIPAL LIGHT RAIL COLLISION

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In its continuing investigation of the collision between two
San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) light
rail trains on Saturday, injuring more than 40 people, NTSB
Acting Chairman Mark V. Rosenker has announced the following
factual information:

At about 2:50 p.m. PDT on Saturday, July 18, 2009, an L Line
train struck the rear of a K Line train at the West Portal
Station in San Francisco.

Data captured by recorders in the train control center
indicated that the L Line train was switched from automatic
to manual mode while stopped in the tunnel at the same time
that the K Line train was occupying the track at the
station. Approximately 24 seconds after the L Line train was
switched to manual mode, it struck the stationary K line
train. The L Line train was traveling at between 20 and 23
miles per hour at the time of the collision.

Post-accident examinations have not revealed any problems
with the braking system or any other mechanical element of
the train. There was no indication that the emergency brake
was activated. An evaluation of the signal system did not
reveal any anomalies or malfunctions with the performance or
functionality of the system.

Rosenker said that the lead NTSB investigator interviewed
the operators of both trains involved in the collision, as
well as an employee monitoring operations and train activity
at the train control center. The operator of the L train
that struck the K train told the investigator that he
"blacked out" as his train approached the platform. The NTSB
will be reviewing the medical history and records of the
operator as well as any current medical conditions or
treatments that he may have been under at the time of the
accident.

While there is no indication at this point that the use of a
mobile phone played any role in the collision, the mobile
phone records of the operator of the striking train have
been subpoenaed for review, which is a routine aspect of
such accident investigations.

SFMTA provided the Safety Board with a video recording of
the collision that was taken from a surveillance camera
mounted at the West Portal station. A copy of the video was
sent to the NTSB's vehicle recorder laboratory in Washington
where an initial examination of the recording was completed
today. The NTSB has released control of the video recording
back to SFMTA.

The on-scene phase of the investigation has been completed
and both of the Los Angeles-based NTSB investigators have
returned to Southern California.

The parties to the investigation are SFMTA, the California
Public Utilities Commission, and the Federal Transit
Administration.

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NTSB Media Contact: Peter Knudson
peter.knudson@ntsb.gov
(202) 314-6100

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