The engineer driving the Amtrak train that derailed in Philadelphia last year, killing eight people, may have been distracted by radio traffic, sources close to the investigation told NBC News.
Sources told NBC News that NTSB investigators believe Amtrak 188 engineer Brandon Bostian was likely distracted by radio dispatchers prior to the May 12, 2015, crash in Philadelphia.
The train, headed from Washington, D.C. to New York, entered a sharp curve at 106 mph — more than twice the posted speed limit — when it crashed. Eight people died and more than 200 were injured.
The NTSB will hold a hearing in Washington, D.C., Tuesday where board members will vote on the final report in the investigation of the deadly derailment.
NBC News reports the probable cause for the crash may change during the meeting.
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The NTSB released 160 documents earlier this year detailing the crash, including two interviews with Bostian in which he described the events leading up to it. In one interview, Bostian told investigators he had a "dream-like" memory of the train going too fast around the curve and hitting the brakes once he realized it was going to tip over.
"I remember holding onto the controls tightly and feeling like, okay well this is it, I'm going over," Bostian said.
Bostian made no mention in either interview however about being distracted by radio dispatch moments before the crash.
