The National Transportation Safety Board released the findings of their investigation into the crash of a ferry in Staten Island two years ago. The crash didn’t prove fatal, but injured 50 people, three of them seriously.

According to CNN, the NTSB found the accident was caused by the malfunctioning solenoid, a part in the propulsion unit. This malfunction made one of the propellers unresponsive to the commands of the ferry’s pilot.

Unfortunately, the malfunction wasn’t recognized until seconds before the crash, when it was too late to take evasive action, making the crash “unavoidable.”

“The pilothouse crewmembers were unaware of the loss of propulsion control until seconds before the accident,” said the report from the NTSB, removing any blame for the accident from the crew.

This wasn’t the first ferry accident for the boat known as the Andrew Barberi. In 2003 it was involved in another crash. This time it hit a pier in Manhattan, killing 11 people and injuring 70. Continue reading →