Ineffective oversight named probable cause of Conception fire; NTSB calls for safety changes

WASHINGTON, D.C.—The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found the probable cause of the fire onboard Conception was the failure of Truth Aquatics Inc. – the vessel’s owner – to provide effective oversight of its vessel and crew member operations including requirements to ensure a roving patrol was maintained. NTSB’s five-member board voted to approve the investigators’ findings, probable cause, recommendations and the draft final report on the investigation into the deadly fire, Oct. 20. The blaze broke out in the early morning hours of Sept. 2, 2019 aboard the 75-foot commercial diving vessel while it was anchored in Platts Harbor off Santa Cruz Island. All 33 passengers and one crew member who were sleeping below deck when the blaze broke out died in the accident. Five crew members above deck were able to escape. According to information presented by investigators on Oct. 20, the exact cause of the fire could not be determined but investigators identified electrical systems, charging batteries and devices, improperly discarded smoking materials or another unknown source as the most likely ignition source. “The examination of the wreckage did not reveal evidence that indicated a probable origin area and cause of the fire,” NTSB Fire and Explosion Investigator Joseph Panagiotou...