Captain's Complacency Led to Bridge Strike on Mississippi River

An accident involving a towing vessel striking the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge on the Mississippi River last year has been attributed to the complacency of a seasoned towing vessel captain, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said Tuesday.

The incident occurred on April 23, 2023, when the Susan K, accompanied by 25 barges, was navigating downstream.

The captain, intending to guide the tow via the western channel under the bridge, admitted that he was not attentive enough during the approach, which led to the tow being misplaced. By the time the captain realized, it was too late to prevent a collision with one of the bridge’s piers. The captain said the water level at the time resulted in “a little swifter current,” but was not unusual.

“[I] wasn’t paying attention to what I was doing … and by the time I was looking for my marks [visual references] to make the bridge, I realized that I was way off my marks,” he said.

Believing he wouldn’t be able to guide the tow on the intended route under the western channel without hitting the left-hand bridge pier, the captain made a “judgment call” to attempt to steer the tow through the eastern channel under the bridge.

*AIS positions of the Susan K, as indicated by red dots. The NTSB approximated the trackline of the Susan K due to limited AIS data. Image courtesy NTSB/Background: Rose Point electronic chart system*

The Susan K’s tow struck the bridge at approximately 22:42 local time. The incident resulted in one barge sinking and damage to two others, with an estimated cost of $2 million. Fortunately, there were no reports of pollution or injuries.

The NTSB investigation confirmed that the captain was neither fatigued, impaired nor distracted. Despite his more than three decades of experience commanding towing vessels and maneuvering tows, including over 200 of successful transits through the Natchez-Vidalia Bridge, the captain confessed to “not paying attention” due to the frequent transits.

“You get complacent sometimes when you do something so many times and you’re sloppy,” he told investigators.

The report stressed the potential for repetition and monotony to breed complacency and diminish situational awareness.

“Repetition and monotony can cause even the most experienced and skilled mariner to become complacent and lose situational awareness,” the report said. “Developing strategies that help maintain focus is a good practice. These strategies may include continuous scanning of instruments and surroundings outside the wheelhouse, strict adherence to procedures, eliminating distractions, changing position or moving (standing up or walking around), and getting enough sleep and exercise.”

You can read the full NTSB report here.