As part of its continuing investigation into a heeling accident involving the M/V Crown Princess, in the Atlantic Ocean off Port Canaveral, the National Transportation Safety Board will open a public docket and release a factual report on Friday, December 14, 2007, at 11:00 am.
On July 18, 2006, about 3:25 p.m., the Bermuda- registered cruise ship M/V Crown Princess, operated by Princess Cruises, experienced a severe roll during a turn. The cruise ship had departed Port Canaveral, Florida, for Brooklyn, New York, on the last leg of a 10-day round-trip voyage to the Caribbean. When a display on an instrument panel showed a high rate of turn to port, the second officer disengaged the autopilot and took manual control of the vessel’s steering system. The vessel was traveling at nearly full speed, about 20 knots, at this time. He turned the wheel to port and then to starboard and back several times, eventually causing the vessel to heel sharply to starboard. The sudden roll caused people to be thrown about or struck by unsecured objects, resulting in 14 serious and 284 minor injuries to passengers and crewmembers. The vessel incurred no damage to its structure, although unsecured interior components, cabinets, and their contents were damaged.
The information being released is factual in nature and does not provide any analysis. It will include investigative group factual reports, interview transcripts, transcripts of recorded conversations on the vessel’s bridge, maintenance records, and other documents from the investigation. Additional material will be added to the docket as it becomes available. Analysis of the accident, along with conclusions and a determination of probable cause, will come at a later date when the final report on the investigation is completed.
For news media representatives, a CD-ROM containing the docket material will be available from the Office of Public Affairs, NTSB Headquarters (6th floor), 490 L’Enfant Plaza, S.W., Washington, D.C. beginning at 11:00 a.m., Friday, December 14, 2007. Docket material also can be obtained from the NTSB’s Public Inquiries Branch by calling (202) 314-6551, or from General Microfilm, Inc., (304) 267-5830.
This will be a document release only; no interviews will be conducted.
Media Contact: Keith Holloway, 202-314-6100
