WASHINGTON POST: The Amtrak train that crashed Tuesday sped up from 70 mph to more than 100 mph in less than a minute before derailing, the National Transportation Safety Board said Thursday.
There was no explanation for that acceleration, the NTSB said, but the train’s engineer has agreed to be interviewed by federal investigators…
Investigators Thursday worked to piece together the train’s final seconds — particularly why it hurtled into a curved section of track at 102 mph, more than twice the posted maximum speed for the bend. Although the engineer slammed on the emergency brakes, it was not soon enough, and the Washington-to-New York train careened off the rails in a jumble of wrenched metal, blown-out windows and bloodied survivors… (more)
EDITOR: We thought the engineer fell asleep. But now we wonder if this was a copy-cat suicide attempt.
