(CNN) –– A former OceanGate chief scientist said the Titan submersible had malfunctioned six days before it imploded in June 2023. All five people on board were killed.
Steven Ross, a marine scientist and crew member on Dive 87 on Titan’s fourth mission in 2023, testified Thursday at a hearing about the submersible’s tragic implosion, saying a rig malfunction during that test dive caused all five people on board to crash against the stern of the vessel for at least an hour.
The dive was aborted because, upon surfacing, a platform malfunction Caused by a problem with the variable ballast tank, which controlled the submersible's buoyancy, the platform was forced to invert at 45 degrees with the rear bow pointing up.
The dive, led by Stockton Rush, founder and CEO of the ship's operator, took place on June 12 about 460 miles (740 kilometers) from the wreck site of the Titanic.
“The pilot crashed into the rear bulkhead, the rest of the passengers fell to the ground, I ended up standing on the rear bulkhead, one passenger was hanging upside down, the other two were on the bow end cap,” Ross said, adding that no one was injured.
Rush had told the passengers there was a problem with the variable ballast tank valve, Ross said. Because the rig's failure took too long to correct, the dive was called off and they returned to the surface to fix the problem.
“It was uncomfortable and unpleasant and it took a considerable amount of time to correct the problem,” Ross said, explaining that he did not know if the crew conducted a hull inspection after the dive.
He said he was aware that the Titan submersible had not been inspected by the U.S. Coast Guard in 2021, 2022 or 2023.
Ross also mentioned two incidents during the 2022 Titanic expedition dives, including a loud bang heard upon surfacing on dive 80.
“There was a discussion about the rumble with the crew, mission specialists and scientists. The theory was that the sound was probably due to the pressure hull shifting on its metal support, which when it snapped back into place could have made that loud noise,” Ross said.
On dive 81, Ross said there was a malfunction with the thrusters. The pilot, Scott Griffith, discovered that the controls on one of the thrusters were reversed when they were at the bottom. Griffith had to operate the thrusters with the controls reversed.
Ahead of Titan’s fourth mission for the 2023 Titanic expedition, Ross said he was told the submersible “hit an obstruction while being towed at night” and it was assumed to have been caused by abandoned fishing gear, “but that was inconclusive” and he was not informed of any damage caused by the obstruction.
