The Nation - News from May 10, 1989

Failures by the Iowa Interstate Railroad and the Federal Railroad Administration to enforce train operating rules and a tired train crew caused the fiery collision of two freight trains in Altoona, Iowa, last summer, federal safety officials concluded. The July 30 head-on crash killed two crew members on a westbound train. The National Transportation Safety Board said an eastbound train departed Altoona before its permitted time. Its crew had been on duty for nearly 10 hours after having four or five hours of sleep, the board said. The board said Iowa Interstate, which operated both trains, had no way of knowing that the westbound train had departed its initial terminal because it did not maintain a record of train movements as required by federal regulations.