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NTSB Final Report on Key Bridge Collapse Finds Mislabeled Wire and Systemic Failures

The board's safety recommendations carry advisory force only.

Overview

  • The 259-page report confirms a mislabeled cable left a connector partially seated, later loosening and cutting power to the cargo ship Dali.
  • Investigators detail a 58-second initial outage restored by crew, followed by a second blackout after a fuel pump was not manually restarted, eliminating propulsion and steering.
  • The board says the Key Bridge exceeded acceptable ship-strike collapse risk by nearly 30 times and lacked a formal vulnerability assessment, with 68 similar spans flagged nationwide.
  • The report cites failures in urgent communication that left six road workers on the bridge without warning.
  • Maryland officials maintain the ship and its operators bear sole responsibility as the rebuild cost rises to $4.3–$5.2 billion with traffic projected for late 2030.