Radio Glitch Likely Contributed to Manhattan No. 1 Train Crash, NTSB Report Suggests

The collision, which injured 25, occurred after a disabled train with faulty brakes rolled into a passenger-carrying train due to a communication failure.

A preliminary federal report by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) suggests a radio glitch may have contributed to the Manhattan No. 1 train crash on Jan. 4, which resulted in minor injuries to 22 passengers and three MTA employees.
The disabled train, which had its front five cars' brakes out of service, rolled into a passenger-carrying train just north of West 96th Street after an 'unruly passenger' pulled its emergency brakes.
The flagger in the front cab of the disabled train lost radio communications with the transit system supervisor in the sixth car near the 96th St. Station, leading to the collision.
Neither train was equipped with event recorders, cameras or other recording devices, making the investigation more challenging.
The NTSB's future investigations will focus on procedures for moving disabled cars, radio communication procedures, and the lack of federal requirements for railcar event recorders.