St. Ignace, Mi-Federal officials have determined what caused a barge carrying a 160 feet Crane to crush into Mackinac -Bridge 2023.

On one Report released this weekThe National Transportation Safety Board said that both the captain and the heads of the towing vessel, Nickelena, failed to plan an effective trip before the incident occurred on May 7.

Specifically, they did not identify that the crane that was towed was too high to pass safely under the iconic bridge connecting Michigan’s two peninsula.

Investigators decided that the actual boom angle was about 62 degrees, corresponding to a boom height of about 162 feet above the water. Given the vertical distance, 153 feet at the contact was about 10 feet too high to transit under the bridge.

Contact with the bridge bent the crane bomb back, which caused the boom to eventually collapse on the rear end of the barge.

There were no damage, and no pollution was reported, but damage to the Mackinac bridge was estimated at $ 145,000.

Damage to the crane was estimated at $ 665,000, according to NTSB.

“For ships and tears with high air drafts, such as crane barbecues, bridges are a risk of contact over your head,” says the NTSB report. “Operators should ensure that they have the most accurate and objective information about the crane and bridge heights before they run. ”

“Suitable navigation resources such as US Coast Pilot or navigation charts should be consulted by owners and operators when developing travel plans to assess navigation risks and hazards, including the air draft relative to bridge vertical distances along the intended route. ”

The Nickelena Used regularly to move barges that transport construction equipment to locations around the large lakes.

The transported boom crane and 5 -foot “Tupp” record from Escanaba to a construction project in Sault Ste. Marie when the collision occurred.