The company responsible for maintaining the roadway where a
“Given the extraordinary circumstances, we are confident in the actions taken by the company,” Hinkle wrote. “In particular, we want to reaffirm that we fully activated our winter storm program leading up to and throughout the winter storm event, and that we coordinate with TxDOT on best practices for snow and ice control in North Texas.”
But the NTSB found the NTE’s monitoring process was “deficient” because, as conditions deteriorated, personnel did not identify the elevated portion of the road where the crash took place as a place needing additional deicing treatment. Training provided by the company was “insufficient” to prepare employees to monitor road conditions, and if sensors had been installed near the crash and on maintenance vehicles, personnel would have had additional data to determine that the road needed treatment, according to the report.
Employees gave “conflicting reports” about whether methods of checking for moisture or ice were addressed during training, according to the NTSB. At the time of the crash, employees primarily relied on visual observation, brake checking and the use of handheld thermometers to detect moisture and ice on roadways, the report says.‘They could have done something’: A year later, questions linger over deadly Fort Worth pileupThe report says speed contributed to the severity of the crash.
The NTSB issued three new recommendations to the state of Texas after its investigation, which include a statewide plan to install environmental sensor stations that would enable a timely response to hazardous road conditions.