“Analysis of the phone records does not indicate that any calls, texts, or data usage occurred during the time the engineer was operating the train,” the release read. “Amtrak’s records confirm that the engineer did not access the train’s Wi-Fi system while he was operating the locomotive.”
On May 12, Amtrak train 188 travelling from Washington, DC to New York City derailed on the outskirts of Philadelphia. Eight people died in the accident and more than 200 were injured.
In order to make its conclusion on the engineer’s phone usage, the NTSB examined over 400,000 files of metadata on the phone’s operating system, the release said.
Next, the investigators plan to obtain a phone identical to the engineer’s to run additional tests in order to validate the data.
The NTSB said the engineer has been cooperative in its investigation and gave his passcode to the transporation safety board to access the phone.
The initial investigation into the accident by the NTSB revealed the Amtrak train travelled at more than twice the allowed speed of 50 miles per hour while going on a curve.
