NTSB Faults Engineering, Testing Failures for 2023 Titan Sub Implosion

Overview

• The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board concluded the submersible was built through an inadequate engineering process that left it short of required strength and durability.
• Investigators said OceanGate failed to properly test the vessel, leaving the craft’s true pressure tolerance unknown and likely well below its target.
• The report found OceanGate did not adequately monitor hull data in real time and should have removed the vehicle from service after signs of prior damage.
• Structural anomalies in the carbon-fiber hull, including wrinkles, waviness, and porosity, were cited as evidence of deficient construction.
• An earlier U.S. Coast Guard probe deemed the implosion preventable, and families have filed negligence suits following the deaths of all five aboard during the June 18, 2023 dive to the Titanic site.