The ship that struck the Francis Scott Key Bridge and caused its collapse suffered power outages before it left port because of human error, but federal safety officials are still trying to figure out why it lost power in the moments before it hit the bridge, according to a report from the National Transportation Safety Board.

The 24-page report provides some context to what happened in the runup to the March 26 bridge collapse, but major questions about exactly why the Dali, a container ship the size of the Chrysler Building, lost power when and where it did remain unanswered. Six construction workers were killed in the collapse and a seventh was rescued.

Safety officials found the Dali lost power twice in the hours before its departure from the Port of Baltimore, with the first instance the result of human error: A crewmember mistakenly closed an exhaust damper while performing maintenance, causing the ship’s engine to stall and one of its generators to cut out. A second blackout happened in port when one of the Dali’s other generators didn’t have enough fuel pressure, according to the report. The ship would lose power for a third and fourth time in the moments right before it slammed into the Key Bridge,

The story continues at The Baltimore Banner: NTSB report: Dali lost power day before strike, unclear if related to fatal outage

WYPR and The Baltimore Banner have a joint operating agreement that allows the nonprofit organizations to work collaboratively to deliver quality journalism across the region. To learn more about the partnership, click here.