PUBLIC HEARING
January 20-21
New Orleans, Lousiana

The animations below are available in MPEG-1, and were presented at the Public Hearing as a recrecreation of the accident described below. Three animated views of the vehicle dynamics are shown. Each video shows the accident bus motion up until the point of impact with the embankment across from the golf cart underpass.

NTSB Accident No. HWY-99-M-H017
About 9:00 a.m. on May 9, 1999, a 1997 MCI, 55- passenger motor coach, operated by Custom Bus Charters of New Orleans, Louisiana, was traveling eastbound on Interstate 610, New Orleans, Louisiana. The bus, with 43 passengers, was en-route from La Place, Louisiana to a casino in Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, approximately 80 miles away. As the bus reached milepost 1.6, it departed the right side of the highway, crossed the improved shoulder, and entered the grassy median alongside the shoulder. As the bus continued in the median it struck the terminal end of a breakaway cable guardrail, vaulted over a depressed golf cart walkway, collided with the far side of the embankment, and slid forward upright, to its final rest position (see Figure 1). Twenty-two passengers were fatally injured, nine of which were ejected and found on the median in front of the bus. The driver and 21 passengers sustained minor to critical injuries and were transported to four area hospitals.

Disclaimer: Simulations presented below used scene and geological surveys, highway design plans, witness statements, vehicle testing, vehicle plans and vehicle operating characteristics. The depictions represent actual lighting and weather conditions at the time of the accident

Witness.mpv (1.6 M)

Potential witness view from behind the accident bus.

This video is based on the account of the witness traveling behind the accident bus. The witness car follows behind the bus and the green car that was witnessed. All vehicles are initially traveling at 60 mph. The speed of the bus increases to about 62 mph when it impacts the guardrail. The vault speed of the bus is 57 mph and the impact speed with the opposite side embankment is 57.2 mph. The impact damage and motion to final rest are not shown in this video.

SideView.mpv (1.6 M)

View from in front of the bus turning into a side view during the vault.

This video shows a view from in front of the accident bus in real time. Once the bus impacts the guardrail, the view turns so that the side of the bus is visible during the vault. The speeds are identical to those listed above. The impact damage and motion to final rest are not shown in this video.

SideViewSlow.mpv (1.1 M)

Slow motion (1/3 speed) view from in front of the bus turning into a side view during the vault.

This video shows a slow motion (1/3 speed) view from the later half of the second video. The impact damage and motion to final rest are not shown in this video.

The simulations were produced on an HVEtm system using EDSMACtm, EDVDStm, EDVSMtm, and EDGENtm programs. All of the programs starting with "ED" are trademarks of the Engineering Dynamics Corporation.