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NTSB releases final El Faro report

Posted at 7:35 AM, Dec 13, 2017
and last updated 2017-12-13 07:35:08-05

The National Transportation Safety Board announced that it was a confluence of factors that contributed to the sinking of the El Faro in the fury of Hurricane Joaquin on Oct. 1, 2015, which killed all 33 people on board, including four Lee County men.
    
Among its findings, the NTSB cited Tuesday that the El Faro captain's unwillingness to listen to his crew's suggestions to change course from the path of a raging hurricane; a weak corporate safety culture that left crewmembers ill-prepared to deal with heavy weather.
    
The board issued 53 safety recommendations, which investigators hope will be adopted by the industry, maritime safety inspectors and weather forecasters to make the seas safer for future generations.
    
The El Faro sank between Jacksonville, Florida, and San Juan, Puerto Rico, after losing engine power in the Category 3 storm.