# Presentation: 440107

## Tallulah, Louisiana

- Motorcoach Run-off-the-Road Accident
- October 13, 2003

## Eastbound on Interstate 20 near Tallulah, Louisiana

**Eastbound on Interstate 20 near Tallulah, Louisiana**

- SOURCE: LSP

## Accident Tractor Semitrailer

**Accident Tractor Semitrailer**

- SOURCE: LSP

## Accident Vehicle

**Accident Vehicle**

- 1992 49-passenger Neoplan USA motorcoach
- No accident-related mechanical defects
- No occupant restraints, except for driver

- SOURCE: LSP

## Occupant Injuries

- Motorcoach
- Driver seriously injured
- 8 passengers fatally injured
- 6 passengers seriously injured
- Tractor semitrailer driver not injured

## Parties to the Investigation

- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- Louisiana State Police
- Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development
- First Baptist Church of Eldorado
- Neoplan USA Corporation
- United Motorcoach Association

## Issues

- Driver fatigue
- State and Federal motor carrier oversight
- Speed-restricted tires
- Motorcoach seating anchorages

## Recommendation Recipients

- Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
- National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
- American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators
- Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance
- Neoplan USA Corporation

## Motorcoach Driver Factors and Church Operator Issues

## Motorcoach Driver

- 66-year-old male
- No medical certificate
- Valid Class “B” commercial driver’s license (CDL)

## Fatigue

- Reduced alertness due to fatigue:
- Physical evidence
- Witness statements
- Motorcoach driver’s own statement
- Potential fatigue contributors

## Medical Conditions

- Preaccident medical conditions
- Insomnia
- Chronic degenerative arthritis
- Joint pain, chronic low back pain
- Mild Obstructive Sleep Apnea
- Well-documented effect on sleep quality, quantity

## Sleep Study Results

- 2000 sleep study:
- 7 hours in bed, 4.7 hours actual sleep
- No REM sleep
- 1-2 hours to fall asleep
- Awoke 6-8 times nightly, needed 10-15 minutes to fall back asleep

## Prescription Medications

- Tramadol
- Pain reliever, some side effects
- Low level found postaccident
- Zolpidem
- Sleep aid, short-term sedation
- Cautioned against use while driving
- Without medications, less sleep

## Dietary Supplements

- Unregulated by FDA
- Difficult to assess potential contribution
- FDA plans final rulemaking soon

## Medical Examinations

- 49 CFR 391.41 requires medical examination to operate a commercial vehicle
- Driver had several potentially disqualifying medical conditions
- Knowledgeable examiner *might* have disqualified driver
- Current system lacking guidance

## Medical Examination Process

- Examiners not adequately supported by current process
- FMCSA contract to develop registry, certification program
*Under current system*, driver *might not* have been denied certification

## Church Operator Issues

- Church did not consider its motorcoach a commercial vehicle
- Texas registration – “Private Bus”
- Not aware of the FMCSA
- All vehicles require title and registration, most State applications lack commercial vehicle definition and guidance

## Operator Issues, Continued

- Churches, colleges, charter schools, associations, and others may not be aware of responsibilities
- “Safe Transportation of Passengers by Motorcoach and What it Means to You”
- Site serves as an educational outreach mechanism

## Commercial Vehicle Inspections

** **

## Tire Inspection Criteria

- Motorcoach passed Texas inspection
- Speed-limited tires not addressed
- No inspection criteria exist
- Potential for inappropriate use

## Required Vehicle Inspections

- Required annually, all commercial vehicles
- Authorized State inspection program
- Authorized third party inspection facility
- Authorized roadside inspection program
- Self-inspection process

## Alpha Trucking Inspections

- Self-inspecting and certifying
- Unqualified inspector
- False annual inspection certification
- False roadside inspection repair certifications
- Missing required vehicle maintenance records

## Postaccident Inspections

- Numerous roadside inspection violations prior to accident
- Driver reported smoking brake
- Total of 67 rejection violations
- Multiple disqualifying violations at every brake assembly

## Alpha’s Mechanical Neglect

- No effective maintenance program
- Habitual, progressive mechanical neglect

## Self-Inspection Oversight

- No Federal oversight of Alpha
- No Federal or State oversight
- Alpha abused self-inspection program
- Easily circumvented
- Results in unsafe conditions

## Motorcoach Occupant Protection

## Crash Survivability

- Adequate survival space outside intrusion area
- Passengers trapped between seats
- Increased injury severity

## T-bolt Anchorages

**T-bolt Anchorages**

## Anchorage Installation

- Design permits seat movement by owner
- Owner’s manual lacked installation information
- Lack of information leads to improper installment, improper maintenance

## Seat Anchorage Inspection

- Seats not properly secured
- Passed Texas inspection
- No inspection criteria available
- Improper securement unlikely to be identified during inspections

## Comparison Accident

- Lack of design standardization
- Seat anchorage failure in six previous accident investigations
- Similar accidents, different postaccident seat conditions

## Similar Accidents

**Burnt Cabins, PA                     Tallulah, LA**

## Vehicle Intrusion Comparison

**Burnt Cabins, PA        /        Tallulah, LA**

## Seat Anchorage Failure

- Seat attachment T-bolts from the accident

## Metallurgical T-bolt Testing

- Hardness of 3 out of 4 accident T-bolts was below SAE Grade 1, the lowest industry-rated bolt
- Hardness of steel correlates with yield stress and tensile strength
- Hardness of floor track was higher than hardness of T-bolts
- No standards or industry requirements

## Seat Anchorage Systems

- Neoplan

- National Seating

## Finite Element Modeling

- Investigate pullout of Neoplan T-bolts
- Compare to National Seating hardware
- Determine forces applied to the T-bolts in the accident
- Understand why Neoplan seating anchorages unable to withstand crash forces

## Impact and Reactions

- Impact from
- Occupant of
- Trailing Seat

- Primary Reaction Forces
- at Floor Attachment Bolts

- Tension

- Compression

## Simulation – Oblique View

## Simulation – End View

## Force Comparison

- Bolt Displacement (inches)

- 0.0

- 0.0

- 0.2

- 0.3

- 0.4

- 0.5

- 0.6

- Bolt Force (pounds)

- 0

- 2000

- 4000

- 6000

- 8000

- 10000

- 12000

**Force Comparison**

- National Seating

- Neoplan

## Seat Anchorage Summary

- National Seating anchorages were more robust than Neoplan anchorages
- National Seating anchorages would have retained the seats in the Tallulah accident
- Neoplan hardware was inadequate to retain the seats in the Tallulah accident

## Motorcoach Occupant Protection

- No Federal regulations or standards
- Europe’s ECE80, Australia’s ADR66
- More robust hardware currently available
- Occupant safety paramount in design
- Inadequate Neoplan hardware failed
- Increased passenger injuries resulted

## Summary

- Anchorage failures by passenger impact or intrusion
- Different seating system designs
- Inconsistent occupant protection
- Inadequate to withstand crash forces

## Slide 47