A Mississippi River towboat, the City of Louisville, ran aground and suffered hull damage after the pilot left the helm for five minutes, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). This incident highlights the dangers of human error in the river’s challenging conditions. On July 29, 2023, while pushing 11 empty hopper barges near Thebes, Illinois, the pilot, a seasoned professional with 24 years of experience, briefly stepped away from the controls.
During his absence, the towboat veered off course and grounded on a rocky shoal, breaching its hull and causing flooding in the engine room. Although the tow remained intact, the crew was unable to dislodge the vessel. As a thunderstorm approached, they abandoned ship, leading to further complications as heavy rain caused the river to rise.
The City of Louisville was eventually refloated and sent for repairs, which cost over $2 million. Investigations revealed that the vessel’s pilothouse alerter system, designed to alert the pilot if controls were inactive for a specified time, was nonfunctional due to a missing power adapter. The NTSB emphasized the importance of such systems for maintaining operator vigilance and recommended that proper procedures be established for their use.
