(CNN) How do all seven cars and the engine of an Amtrak train jump the rails, sending passengers, luggage, laptops and more flying?
One possibility loomed over all others Wednesday: speed.
Authorities haven’t said what caused the derailment of Amtrak Northeast Regional Train 188 in Philadelphia on Tuesday night. But the National Transportation Safety Board said that preliminary data show the train’s speed exceeded 100 mph before the derailment. That would be more than twice the 50 mph speed limit for the curve it was in.
The engineer operating the train applied full emergency brakes “just moments” before the train derailed, said NTSB board member Robert Sumwalt. The train was traveling about 106 mph as it headed into a left turn. The speed limit immediately before the curve was 80 mph, Sumwalt said.
An official with direct knowledge of the investigation earlier said that authorities were focusing on speed as a possible cause, given the angles of the wreckage and type of damage to the cars. The recorder, or “black box,” discovered at the scene could be pivotal by showing just that, former NTSB official John Goglia said.
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Categories: Americas