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00:00On April 17, 2011, a BNSF coal train passed through McPherson Junction near Red Oak, Iowa.
00:08There were two engines leading this train, BNSF SC70AC 9159, ES44AC 6133 trailing, 132 loaded coal cars, and a DPU in the back, which was BNSF SC70ACE 9226.
00:25Up ahead parked on milepost 448.3 was a maintenance-away equipment train having 88 flatbeds and a lone SC70MAC leading, BNSF 9470.
00:369159E was directed to stop behind the maintenance-away equipment train. However, it proceeded through many red signals.
00:43What's even more odd is that the crewmembers couldn't see the train up ahead.
00:55All of a sudden, they saw the maintenance-away equipment train in front of them. And then, minutes until 7 o'clock, it happened.
01:25The coal train rear-ended the back of the maintenance-away train at 23 miles per hour.
01:449159 ended up burying itself under the flat cars, which in turn piled on top of each other, and 6133 and 9159 began to leak fuel.
01:53Both the engineer and the conductor were killed, and the accident cost more than $7 million.
01:59The cause of this crash was the crew being fatigued. The NTSB stated that the crew was half-awake and should have reset the alert button every 2 minutes.
02:08Recommendations from the NTSB to the FRA to make sure that all crewmembers must stay awake while on duty.
02:159159 was repaired and put back into service. However, it was renumbered 8749 because one of the family's victims requested it to be renumbered.
02:246133 was also repaired, and 9226 was undamaged because of the DPU in the back of the train.