Officials said Monday that an inspection of the Brooklyn Bridge in New York City determined the load-bearing elements of the structure did not sustain any significant damage when a Mexican navy sailing ship crashed into the landmark on Saturday night, killing two people on board.
The New York City Department of Transportation announced the discovery in a post on X just before the National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) held a press conference regarding its investigation into the tragic incident.
“This morning, Commissioner Rodriguez surveyed the Brooklyn Bridge following the weekend bridge strike,” the city agency said. “While inspections are ongoing, there are no signs of structural damage to the bridge.”
NTSB officials told reporters that its bridge team from the Office of Highway Safety is working with NYC DOT and confirmed the lack of structural damage to the bridge.
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“They have affirmed at this point that there is no significant structural damage to the load-bearing elements of the bridge,” NTSB Board Member Michael Graham said. “There is some damage on one of the travelers, which they use to access and survey the bridge at this point. But nothing structural from the bridge… is an issue at this plan.”
NTSB Investigator Brian Young told reporters that, based on preliminary navigational data, the Mexican navy tall ship Cuauhtémoc arrived in New York City on May 13 at about noon and docked port side at pier 17. The vessel remained docked for about four days, before pushing away from the dock at about 8:20 p.m. on May 17, with the assistance of a tugboat.
“The intent was to sail south down the East River and head for sea,” Young said.
The preliminary investigation looked at weather data, which showed westerly winds of about 10 knots, along with a current running toward the bridge at about 0.3 knots.
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The vessel’s speed increased to about 6 knots, and at 8:24, a VHF radio broadcast was sounded requesting assistance from other tugboats in the area of the Brooklyn Bridge, he continued.
“That was followed by two other requests for assistance, and at 8:24:45, the vessel’s mast struck the underside of the Brooklyn Bridge,” Young said. “At 8:27, the vessel came to a stop, and at 8:30, both NYPD and FDNY assets were on the scene.”
The members of the NTSB arrived in New York City on Sunday, and Monday was the first day crews were able to start investigating the incident.
Graham said the team is there to gather perishable evidence, which will take as many days as needed.
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He also said this was the start of a long process, telling reporters that investigations can take between 12 and 24 months.
Within 30 days, Graham and his team will provide a preliminary report, but throughout the process, he stressed, the team will not draw conclusions, speculate, or determine probable cause while on the scene.
The investigation will involve looking at the crew and the operation of the crew, the vessel and its condition, and nautical elements like weather, wind and tide.
On Monday morning, various teams were set up by the NTSB to look into nautical operations, marine engineering, bridge engineering, survival factors and recorders.
Young told reporters that the team did not know whether the ship had a recorder, like a black box, on board.
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“Our recorders group, once getting aboard the vessel, will make a full assessment of any recording devices, and we will capture that information and retrieve it,” he said.
One reporter asked Graham and Young about preliminary information released by the NYPD, suggesting there was a power outage that may have led to the ship’s collision with the bridge.
“We don’t know where they got that data from,” Graham said. “Brian has told us already we haven’t even had a chance to access the engine, so, we don’t know that. We haven’t had a chance to look to see if there’s any recorded data or anything like that. So, we’re not sure where they got that from, but that will be part of the investigation, too. If somebody has information like that, where did they get it from? We don’t know at this point.”
NTSB investigators will speak with witnesses, crew members, tugboat operators and others to help get a full picture of what caused the ship to crash on Saturday night. They will also look for surveillance cameras in the area to help piece together the puzzle.
Still, Graham reiterated that all information provided to reporters during the press conference was preliminary and subject to change throughout the investigation.
He encouraged anyone with video of the incident on their phones to reach out to [email protected] to notify investigators of the video. The NTSB will then provide a link where the video can be uploaded.
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