National Transportation Safety Board says Baltimore's Key Bridge collapse was 'preventable'

National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Jennifer Homendy said Tuesday that the 2024 collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge was "preventable."

On March 26, 2024, a 984-foot container ship called the Dali lost power, propulsion and steering and struck a pier that supported the central span of the Key Bridge, causing it to fall into the Patapsco River, killing six construction workers.

During a hearing in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, the NTSB said that a loose wire led to the ship's power failure, USA Today reported.

"The fact is, we shouldn’t be here today; this tragedy should’ve never occurred … lives should’ve never been lost," Homendy said in her opening remarks. "As with all accidents we investigate, this was preventable."

The NTSB recommended that operators complete periodic inspections of high voltage switchboards, and proposed changes that would allow ships to recover from loss of power more quickly.