Engineering Was Flawed for Titan, NTSB Decides

The National Transportation Safety Board has concluded that OceanGate's "inadequate engineering process" led to the fatal 2023 implosion of its Titan submersible. According to the final 87-page report, OceanGate built the vessel with a carbon fiber pressure hull that did not meet essential strength and durability criteria. The NTSB notes that the sub suffered damage after its 80th and 82nd dives, with ongoing deterioration until its 88th dive resulted in the catastrophic failure that killed all five people aboard on a trip to the Titanic wreck, ABC News reports.

Investigators found that OceanGate failed to sufficiently test the Titan's actual strength, leaving the company unaware of the vessel's vulnerabilities. In addition, the monitoring system's data analysis was flawed, so the company missed warning signs after the 80th dive and kept using the sub that should have been pulled from service, the report says. The NTSB also cited gaps in US and international safety standards, which it said did not do enough to regulate vessels like Titan. In response, the agency recommended the Coast Guard establish an expert panel to review submersible operations and develop new regulations.

The findings follow a Coast Guard report that criticized OceanGate's design, certification, maintenance, and inspection practices. The Coast Guard also singled out OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, saying he received multiple warnings about the sub's risks and took actions against employees who raised concerns. Rush, who died in the implosion, would have been recommended for manslaughter charges had he survived. The wreckage of the Titan probably would have been found sooner had OceanGate followed standard guidance for emergency response, per the AP. That would have saved "time and resources even though a rescue was not possible," the report says.