• The NTSB blames faulty engineering and inadequate testing for the Titan submersible implosion.
• Five passengers, including the CEO of OceanGate, died in the underwater disaster.
• The report calls for new regulations to ensure the safety of human-occupied submersibles.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) concluded that the implosion of the Titan submersible during its June 2023 expedition to the Titanic wreck was due to faulty engineering and inadequate testing. The NTSB's final report stated that OceanGate's engineering process allowed for the construction of a carbon fiber composite pressure vessel that “contained multiple anomalies and failed to meet necessary strength and durability requirements,” which ultimately led to the disaster that killed all five passengers on board, including OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, according to SCMP, ABC News, Channel News Asia, BBC, and CBS News.

The report illustrates that the Titan had sustained some damage during its previous dives, which further weakened the pressure vessel. As a result of these damages, the vessel was unaware of its diminishing structural integrity until it catastrophically imploded at dive 88, which was characterized by suspicious analyses of real-time monitoring data by OceanGate. The Coast Guard's earlier findings corroborate this conclusion by noting that the company had “critically flawed” safety practices that contributed to what was deemed a “preventable tragedy,” according to SCMP, ABC News, and CBS News.

Moreover, the NTSB emphasized that had OceanGate adhered to established safety protocols, the wreckage of the Titan might have been located much sooner, thus conservatively using resources despite the absence of survivors. The report highlighted that the company's engineering process was fundamentally insufficient, and stressed the need for new regulatory frameworks regarding human-occupied pressure vessels. These recommendations were aimed at the U.S. Coast Guard and international regulatory bodies, aligning with earlier findings concerning the potential for regulatory failures in the industry, according to Channel News Asia, BBC, and CBS News.