Titan submersible implosion caused by flawed engineering, US report reveals

Washington: The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its final investigative report on the Titan submersible disaster, concluding that the catastrophic implosion during its June 2023 dive to the Titanic wreck was caused by flawed engineering and inadequate safety practices.

According to the NTSB, the submersible’s failure was primarily due to the use of substandard carbon fiber materials, which did not meet required strength and durability standards.

The report found that OceanGate, the company behind Titan, failed to properly test and certify the experimental vessel before embarking on the fatal expedition.

The implosion, which occurred during a deep-sea dive to the Titanic wreck site, claimed the lives of five people, including Pakistani businessman Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood.

The report further criticized OceanGate for neglecting emergency response protocols, noting that while the passengers could not have been saved, adherence to proper safety procedures could have allowed for a faster and more efficient search and recovery operation.

The NTSB also highlighted internal negligence, citing a former employee who had previously raised concerns about violations of Coast Guard regulations.

In response, OceanGate’s CEO reportedly dismissed the issue, saying, “If the Coast Guard becomes a problem, I’ll buy a congressman and shut them up.”

The findings align with an August 2025 U.S. Coast Guard report, which described Titan’s safety standards as “severely deficient” and attributed the disaster to criminal negligence in inspection and maintenance.

The NTSB emphasized that current laws governing small submersibles are inadequate, effectively allowing companies like OceanGate to operate unsafely.

It recommended the formation of a specialized Coast Guard committee to strengthen future regulations.

The Titan submersible disappeared on June 18, 2023, during an expedition to explore the wreck of the RMS Titanic, which sank in 1912 in the North Atlantic Ocean.