Computer Failure At Fault In D.C. Crash?

(CBS/AP) Investigators looking into the deadly crash of two Metro transit trains focused Tuesday on why a computerized system failed to halt an oncoming train, and why the train failed to stop even though the emergency brake was pressed.

At the time of the crash, the train also was operating in automatic mode, meaning it was controlled primarily by computer. In that mode, the operator's main job is to open and close the doors and respond in case of an emergency.

Debbie Hersman, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said it was unclear whether the emergency brake actually was engaged when Monday's crash occurred. The mushroom-shaped button that activates it was found pushed down in the operator's compartment.

Hersman said it was not clear when the button was pressed or how it got that way. She also cited evidence of braking on the train's rotors, indicating it was likely that the operator tried to slow down.

The train plowed into a stopped train ahead of it at the height of the Monday evening rush hour, killing nine people and injuring more than 70. It was the deadliest accident in the 30-year history of the Washington Metro.

Crews spent Tuesday pulling apart the trains' wreckage and searching for victims' bodies. Authorities worked to determine why the train's safeguards apparently did not kick in.

"That train was never supposed to get closer than 1,200 feet, period," said Jackie Jeter, president of a union that represents Metro workers.

All Metro trains were running on manual control as a precaution against computer malfunction.

The cars in the moving train were some of the oldest in the transit network, dating to the founding of the Metro system. read more

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