Fishermen Say Barge Was Out of Channel Long Before Crash; NTSB Studying GPS Satellite Images

The Associated Press | Published: Jun 19, 2002

[freeperfromnj]

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - Many witnesses think the towboat and barges involved in last month's deadly bridge collapse were outside the Arkansas River's navigational channel long before they struck the bridge, the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette reported Wednesday.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the possibility.

The Robert Y. Love and its barges were outside the channel at least 2 1/2 miles south of the Interstate 40 bridge in eastern Oklahoma, men who attended a May 26 fishing tournament told the newspaper.

"What I'm starting to hear is more and more fishermen telling me, 'Yeah, I'm running south of the bridge that morning and see the barge on the wrong side of the river,'" said tournament organizer Carl Woods, who's compiling anglers' accounts.

The NTSB, citing Global Positioning System satellite images, has said the towboat turned west out of the navigation channel shortly before striking the bridge pilings. It is now beginning to investigate the tow's earlier course.

"Our initial information was based on pictures of the GPS screen in the moments prior," safety board spokesman Keith Holloway told the newspaper. "Now we're analyzing GPS data downstream in the hour or so before." Holloway said Wednesday that NTSB investigators were still reviewing interviews they have conducted with fishermen and looking at GPS data to determine the boat's course.

Towboat pilot William Joe Dedmon has told investigators he blacked out just before the crash, which toppled about 500 feet of the roadway and sent 14 motorists to their death in the murky water below.

Cardiologists say the pilot may have suffered from a rapid heartbeat called ventricular tachycardia, which can cause unconsciousness, Dedmon's lawyer has said. Attorneys for Dedmon and barge owner Magnolia Marine Transport Co., of Vicksburg, Miss., did not immediately return phone calls Wednesday from the AP.

Holloway would not say how the fishermen's accounts would affect the investigation or whether the fishermen have been contacted. But he said the board will match witness accounts to other information it obtains.

"I would say that the data from the GPS is what will give us our facts," Holloway said. "People can be off on certain points. We don't want to rush to judgment." Mike Drain was fishing with his partner that morning at the mouth of Dirty Creek, about 2 1/2 miles south of the bridge.

"I looked and saw the barge way over to the west," said Drain, of Purcell, Okla. "He was outside the marker by 20 or 30 yards. It startled me how close to the bank he was."

Also fishing at Dirty Creek, Buddy Burns said the boat "was west of the buoy marker. I know that for sure."

[OXENinFLA]

NOW HOLD ON... They are going to be using Satilite images to determine where the bardge was BEFORE it hit the bridge? I didn't know that satilites could go back in time and show one what has happened. Or does this mean those EYES IN THE SKY are watching and recording US more than we think? And doesn't a image satilite have to be targeted at something. Oh I guess they "just happened" to be filming in the area.

[Minnesoootan]

Probably the GPS on board,has a memory function.

[OzarkRepub]

This is a case of some shoddy reporting. GPS is NOT a visual imaging system.
The satellites transmit data to on-board recievers that then compute the ground
position of the reciever. Most recievers are capable of storing ground track history
and that's what the NTSB is looking at.

[M_Man]

Modern GPS navigation units do a lot more than gust give a Lat/Lon position. Their onboard memory stores their "track" ie the record of their positions along a course. It a couple of "clicks" to display your latest track on the plotter's screen.

[OXENinFLA]

Yea, I guess I needed to also read the entire report before I jumped into writing a rant...It was much clearer the 2nd time around. I also wonder if any of the main media will pick up on this story?

[DETAILER]

There are no "images". The barge was apparently using GPS (Global Positioning Satellite) to navigate the river, as many, many commercial transports of all types do nowadays. The GPS unit on the boat has to "talk" to the GPS satellite in order to give accurate position reports. And most, if not all, GPS units keep a record of the route taken so you can backtrack where you were at, or find the same spot again another day. No big mystery here. They're great for getting back to a place you found good fishin, or finding that deer stand that you set out three years ago, and can;t remember where it's at now.

[1rudeboy]

Grab hold of yourself, man. Buy a GPS-unit from your local hardware store and you will understand.

[freeperfromnj]

I also wonder if any of the main media will pick up on this story?

If the fishermen are correct, that would mean the captain lied when he said he blacked out just moments before the crash. I'm wondering if the FBI is on this or if it's totally in the NTSB's capable hands.

[OXENinFLA]

Makes one wonder how deep the hole gets.

[weaponeer]

The GPS unit on the boat has to "talk" to the GPS satellite in order to give accurate position reports.

To pick a nit, and be technically correct, the GPS receiver on the boat only needs to "listen" to the signals coming from the GPS satellites. It doesn't have to "talk" or transmit anything at all.

Other than that, the rest of your post is quite correct.

[TomGuy]

From the morning of the collision, there has been more fishy about this than the fishing competition going on. I wonder whether the FBI has checked the captain's bank accounts for any recent increase in wealth.

[sandydipper]

Jack Daniels will do that - make you black out I mean. I personally have never experienced the effect (hic) but my mother was a pure alkie and I seen her do it. She never drove no barge though just a '59 Fury.

[Clara Lou]

Wanna buy a tinfoil beanie from me? I have some in your size-- real cheap.

[DETAILER]

Aakkk!! I was wrong about something!!!! Please, pretty please don't spread it around!

I've actually never owned a GPS unit but have several outdoors friends who do, it's amazing to get in a boat at 5 a.m., pitch black dark, and get back to a spot in the middle of nowhere by sunrise. Gott get me one of those.

[Ann Archy]

My mother had tachycardia for 50 years and NEVER was close to blacking out. I think this was deliberate. What ever happened to the fake guy that came for the dead guys briefcase??

[Cachelot]

My mother had tachycardia for 50 years and NEVER was close to blacking out. I think this was deliberate.

Bingo. Someone should keep tabs on this barge drivers spending habits for ten years to come. As they should with that forest person in connection with the Hayman fire too.

[Pagey]

"The NTSB, citing Global Positioning System satellite images..."

Hmph,makes you wonder how they didn't have this type of GPS info surrounding Flight 800 and potential things going towards it.I don't buy conspiracy B.S. either,I just don't believe the #42 era NTSB excuse, that 'a spark in the gas tank' brought that plane down. Period.

[stylin_geek]

It seems to me that "blacking out seconds before the collision" is not enough time for barges to move far enough over to hit the bridge support. I would think that the mass of the barges involved would make a rather abrupt course change difficult. In other words, I think he would have had to have been lined up with the bridge more than just "a few seconds" before the collision ocurred.

[RightWhale]

Not satellite images. GPS tracks, which were recorded by the tugboat, displayed on a GIS map on computer.