NTSB: Blowout of bad tire caused fatal Farmingdale High bus crash

The bus that plunged off an upstate roadway with the Farmingdale High School marching band, staff and supporters on board was riding on underinflated and damaged tires when one blew out, causing the charter to lose control, according to the NTSB's final report on the crash released Thursday.

Only one person on the bus was wearing seat belts, the National Transportation Safety Board's report found, adding a recommendation: "Lap/shoulder belts should be worn by all drivers and passengers in motorcoaches and can prevent injury or ejection during collisions."

The Sept. 21, 2023, crash on Interstate 84 in upstate Orange County killed the school’s popular band director and a longtime and much-beloved chaperone, injured dozens of students and roiled the Farmingdale High community and much of Long Island amid the pageantry and events to start the school year. It also has led to about 30 lawsuits and spurred state legislation requiring that seat belts be worn on charter buses.

The 2014 Prevost motor coach was carrying 40 students and three chaperones to a band camp in Pennsylvania when the left front tire blew out on the interstate. The tire failure caused the bus to drive off the highway, breaking through a roadside cable barrier before going down the embankment. More than a dozen people — including students, chaperones and the bus driver — were ejected.

The bus was maintained by the now-defunct Regency Transportation in Nesconset.

The NTSB report said the lone passenger wearing a seat belt was a student who suffered minor injuries "and was the only occupant from the first three rows who was not ejected. The other five occupants in this area, including the driver, were ejected and sustained fatal or serious injuries. Had the occupants been using their lap/shoulder belts, they would not have been ejected, reducing their level of injury."

Farmingdale school district officials could not be reached for comment late Thursday.

The crash killed band director Gina Pellettiere, 43, of Massapequa, and chaperone Beatrice Ferrari, 77, of Farmingdale, who were both ejected from the bus. The crash also seriously injured another adult chaperone and 13 students. Officials said 27 more students suffered minor injuries. The 59-year-old driver was also ejected and seriously injured.

Families of the injured students and the estate of Pellettiere have filed about 30 lawsuits that are still pending, including against the owners of the Regency bus company, the bus driver, Bridgestone Americas Tire Operations and the Farmingdale school district.

NTSB investigators said a camera inside the bus showed the bus driver vaping 17 seconds prior to the crash and primarily driving with only her right hand on the steering wheel. She had both hands on the steering wheel one second after the tire failure, according to the report.

"She appeared alert with no overt signs of drowsiness. She was not using her cellphone at the time of the crash and did not appear distracted by passengers," according to the report.

Investigators said a drug test after the crash by the bus company and state police found the driver tested "negative for alcohol and other drugs."

A state law passed after the crash, which took effect in April, requires charter buses to have seat belts and mandates their use. It also includes different penalties for violations, depending on the passenger’s age.

The NTSB report also said schools and organizations that use the charter buses "have a duty to ensure passenger safety; they can significantly increase seat belt use by making students and adult chaperones aware of state seat belt laws and implementing their own mandatory seat belt use policies for student transportation."

The report said the buses should also have a tire pressure monitoring system and undergo periodic tire pressure gauge checks as a part of routine inspections. The bus was found with a tire pressure monitoring system that reported no prior issues.

An NTSB review of the tires after the crash found the tread on all of the remaining tires were above the minimum depth. The tire pressure on the front right steer tire measured a tire pressure at 100 psi, which is 20 pounds less then the manufacturer's recommendation. The interior dual axle tires were between 8 and 16 pounds underinflated than recommended.

Regency Transportation purchased the bus three months prior to the crash, according to the NTSB. Maintenance records from the previous owner and Regency showed no record that tires were replaced or rotated, the report said.

A state Department of Transportation inspection of the bus in August reported no mechanical violations, according to the NTSB final report, adding that Regency said they completed preventive maintenance two days before the crash.

"The driver did a visual inspection of the bus before departing on the day of the crash and reported no previous issues," the report states.

By John Asbury

john.asbury@newsday.comJohnAsbury

John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.