Tue, 09/12/2017 - 4:00pm

The freight vessel El Faro at sea, loaded with cargo containers. (Photo by Tote Services)

WASHINGTON — The National Transportation Safety Board plans to meet Dec. 12, 2017, in Washington to determine the probable cause of the October 2015 sinking of the cargo ship El Faro in the Atlantic Ocean.

The 790-foot vessel set sail from Jacksonville, Florida, on a voyage to San Juan, Puerto Rico, Sept. 29, 2015, and sank about 34 hours later near the eye of Hurricane Joaquin. All 33 crewmembers aboard the ship perished in the accident.

The NTSB launched an investigation as soon as the sinking was confirmed and with assistance from the U.S. Navy and U.S. Coast Guard, the wreckage and debris field was located Oct. 31, 2015, more than 15,000 feet under the surface of the sea.

Investigators focused on recovering a crucial piece of evidence from the wreckage – the voyage data recorder (VDR), which contained more than 26 hours of audio recorded from the El Faro's navigation bridge. The VDR was not located during the first voyage to find the El Faro's wreckage. The VDR was located during the second mission in April 2016, which was supported by the National Science Foundation. However, the VDR was not recovered until the third mission in August 2016, which was supported by the U.S. Navy. The 500-page VDR transcript was placed in the El Faro accident docket, where it is among more than 16,000 pages of factual reports, interview transcripts and related documents.

In addition to determining the probable cause of the sinking and any factors that may have contributed to the accident, the Board is expected to vote on recommendations to address safety issues uncovered during the investigation.

The meeting is scheduled to be held in the NTSB Board Room and Conference Center, 429 L'Enfant Plaza SW, Washington, D.C., beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET Dec. 12. The board meeting is open to the public and media and will be webcast live at http://ntsb.capitolconnection.org/.

More information about the NTSB investigation into the sinking of El Faro, including links to images, videos, news releases and the accident docket, is available at https://go.usa.gov/xRM6x.

Flags in Knox County to half-staff in in honor of 'El Faro' crewman, Dylan Meklin

NTSB learns navigation bridge, data recorder missing from wreckage of sunken 'El Faro'

Update: Fifth Maine Maritime graduate among those missing at sea in El Faro sinking

NTSB issues update on investigation into sinking of 'El Faro'

Flags in Knox County at half mast to honor 'El Faro' second mate, Danielle Randolph

El Faro crew from Rockland not among group of 10 to settle with ship's owner TOTE Maritime

UPDATED: NTSB releases public docket video, photos of 'El Faro' debris field

Lawsuits filed on behalf of Rockland 'El Faro' crew members

UPDATE: U.S. Coast Guard Board of Investigation hearing into 'El Faro' sinking underway

NTSB to launch second mission to search for El Faro evidence, clues

NTSB locates voyage data recorder of sunken cargo ship El Faro

Marine Board investigators told El Faro captain thought he could avoid storm