Investigators Seek Answers In Fatal Alabama Bus Crash

BALDWIN COUNTY, AL — Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are still looking for answers in a deadly bus crash that killed the bus driver and injured about 20 students and staff Tuesday morning.

Peter Kotowski, a spokesman for the NTSB, provided an update to the media inside the Baldwin County Emergency Management Center on Wednesday.

"Our mission is to not only understand what happened, but why it happened and to make safety recommendation to prevent it from happening again," Kotowski said.

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A charter bus carrying more than 50 passengers — all members, parents or staff from the Channelview High School maching band — that were traveling from Disney World in Orlando, Florida to Houston, ran off Interstate 10 in Loxley, Alabama shortly before 6 a.m. Tuesday, and plummeted 50 feet into a ravine.

The driver, identified as Harry Caligone of Houston, was killed.

READ: NTSB Investigating Alabama Bus Crash That Killed 1, Injured 20

Kotowski said the investigation is still in its infancy, so there wasn't any new information to share.

"We will not be determining the probable cause of the accident while we are here on scene," he said.

Kotowski said the NTBS teams will be led by experts who will focus on human performance issues, as well as those with a background in highway and vehicle issues.

"Our investigation process is basically a nine-point matrix that examines the three components of a crash. Those components are the environment, the persons involved and the vehicle," he said.

The onsite investigation into the crash is expected to take between seven and 10 days, with the forensic investigation taking between 12-14 months, Kotowski said.

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