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This is the final highway accident report (NTSB-HAR-71-1) from the National Transportation Safety Board, adopted in December 1970. It covers the collapse of the U.S. 35 bridge between Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and Kanauga, Ohio, on December 15, 1967, which killed 46 people. The Board found that the cause was a cleavage fracture in eyebar 330 at joint C13N. That fracture grew from a flaw produced over 40 years by stress corrosion and corrosion fatigue, in a spot that could not be seen or found by inspection.
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and the anchorage. Those within the Ohio side span and the main span reported feeling vibrations, especially from side to side, although some who had used the bridge frequently did not think they were unusual until just before the collapse. The witness in Vehicle No. 38, who had started out onto the West Virginia side span, felt it was shaking so badly she stopped and backed off to the approach span, saving herself and others. This, however, was after the collapse had begun. Many agreed that the vibrations became really noticeable after the two east bound dump trucks passed them or approached them. These trucks were moving at between 10 and 15 mph, and would have taken about 35 to 50 seconds to reach their position at the time of collapse after entering the suspended portion of the structure at the Ohio chain bent. It is the belief of the Board that most of the unusual vibrations noted were due to the passage of these trucks. They were felt by the people in the west bound vehicles because they were standing still on the bridge. Many of them would not have had this experience before on this bridge, since the traffic only occasionally backed up far enough to place standing vehicles out on the span. Some of the more violent lateral motions were undoubtedly associated with the early stages of collapse. The loud cracking and popping noises, presumably due to fractures, were reported most frequently in the vicinity of the chain bent post, panel point 7, and all the way over at panel point 39 (this one after lateral motion began). These are possibly associated with the fracture of the chain bent post, the gusset plate at U7N and fractures of eyebars in the main span. The duration of noise during the collapse is variously reported 8 or 10 to as much as 60 seconds. The directions in which various survivors felt that their vehicles fell is consistent with the sequence of collapse developed above. Those closest to the Ohio chain bent post went down gently and rear end first. Those farther out on the Ohio side span rolled to the north. Those in the main span west of the center fell on the north side first and rear end first. At the center the fall was to the right or north side for west bound vehicles. The survivor of Vehicle No. 37 (F. Wamsley) reported a fall to the left (also north side for an east bound vehicle) and then straight down. There is some question about the position of this vehicle just at the instant of collapse. Wamsley recalls no cars ahead of him, a recollection supported by Charlene Wood who remembered a "truck coming toward her." It is at variance with the recollection of several other witnesses in the west bound traffic who recall the two dump trucks "close together" or "one car in between." In any event, the divers found both trucks on the bottom near the center of the main span, and four passenger autos within about 100 feet of the West Virginia tower. A position of Vehicle No. 37 at about panel point 33 would be more consistent, and would also have produced slightly higher stress in critical eyebar No. 330.
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