NTSB report reveals pilot was using personal phone just before contact of barge tow with dyke on Ohio River

A barge tow struck a vane dike on the Ohio River last year because the pilot did not effectively compensate for the outdraught current while navigating out of the McAlpine Locks in Louisville, Kentucky, the US National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said on Thursday, April 24.

The towing vessel Amber Brittany was transiting the Ohio River on March 8, 2024, pushing 15 barges when the tow struck the vane dyke at the upstream end of the locks. The tow broke apart, with 10 barges floating down the river, resulting in an estimated US$1.3 million in damage to the barges, cargo and dam gates.