NTSB: Pilot's Personal Phone Call Contributed to Fatal Houston Ship Channel Collision

A Houston ship pilot’s extended personal cell phone conversation and multiple failures to maintain a proper lookout led to the fatal 2024 collision between the bulk carrier Yangze 7 and the towing vessel Miss Peggy in the Houston Ship Channel, according to a newly released National Transportation Safety Board investigation. 

The July 19, 2024, collision near Lynchburg, Texas, caused the Miss Peggy to capsize and sink with five crewmembers aboard. Four mariners were rescued by a nearby vessel, while a fifth was later found dead inside the wreck. One crewmember suffered serious injuries, another sustained minor injuries, and an undetermined amount of oil