from land and water in the event of an accident or other emergency The Safety Board believes that the Coast Guard should require such markings and periodically publish a list of them as part of a national bridge register Such an inventory should be available to emergency response organizations and, following publication, should be included on navigation charts
CONCLUSIONS
Findings
1. The traincrew's qualifications and the condition of the track, signals, and train equipment did not contribute to this accident
2. The Sunset Limited, traveling about 72 mph, derailed after striking a girder that had been displaced about 38 inches when the towboat MAUVILLA, pushing six barges, struck the Big Bayou Canot railroad bridge
3. Had the pilot used the radar as visibility deteriorated, he could have observed the intersection formed by the Mobile River and the Big Bayou Canot and could have avoided turning his tow and barges into the wrong waterway
4. The pilot exercised poor decisionmaking under the prevailing conditions by continuing to navigate when he could not find a tree to which to tie up, by continuing his approach to an unidentified object, and by not summoning help from other crewmembers
5. Warrior & Gulf Navigation Company did not provide adequate radar navigation training to the pilot, nor did it provide him with a compass
6. Warrior & Gulf Navigation Company's written evaluation form did not fully identify and assess those skills critical to vessel operation, limiting its value as a management tool for ensuring safe vessel operations.
7. The American Waterway Operators, Inc., should encourage member companies to incorporate into towboat operator evaluations a practical method of assessing proficiency in navigation, including the use of radar
8. Coast Guard standards for inland towing vessel operator licensing are inadequate because they do not address the radar skills that are neccssary for safe operation of vessels in restricted visibility.
9. All uninspected towing vessels should be required to carry appropriate navigational devices, including charts, in the wheelhouse, and all such vessels, except those operating in very limited areas, should be required to have a radar installed.
