NTSB: High temperatures led to train wheel bearing failure, 11 of the 38 cars derailed

An overheated wheel bearing caused a Norfolk Southern train to crash on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday afternoon.

The derailment near the Ohio-Pennsylvania line was largely out of the spotlight for nearly two weeks. A controlled burn Feb. 6, and social media buzz last week sparked more interest with previously silent politicians weighing in heavily.

There were no injuries from the crash, and testing of air and water have had positive results for residents in the area.

The crew on the train gets signals for temperatures of the wheel bearings as it moves. NTSB Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said two heat indicators showed wheel bearing temperatures rising but not above warning levels. A third was significantly over the threshold.

Eleven of the 38 cars derailed, with seven carrying hazardous material.

Homendy said each rail company establishes its critical thresholds for heat in wheel bearings. Norfolk Southern's is 115 degrees Fahrenheit; the second of the two indicators the crew received showed the temperature at 103.

The train crew did not try to stop the train, she said. When a third reading of more than 250 degrees registered, an onboard alarm sounded and Homendy said the crew took immediate action.

The train derailed before crew members could bring it to a stop, she said.

Homendy said NTSB, which released its preliminary report Thursday morning, will continue to investigate. She said it will look into Norfolk Southern’s threshold, seeing if it was too low or if a federal level should be established.

The probe could take up to 18 months to be finalized.

“NTSB still is in fact-finding phase. We know what derailed the train. We have a lot of questions. We dig deep. That takes time,” Homendy said.

Once the fact-finding phase of the investigation is complete, NTSB moves into an analysis and then issues any potential safety recommendations, but Homendy said urgent safety recommendations could be issued if needed.

Homendy also said the accident was 100% preventable.

“We’ve never seen an accident that wasn’t preventable. I hate the word accident. Nothing is an accident,” she said.