THE director of the company that owned the doomed Titan sub has admitted it malfunctioned just before setting off on the fatal dive.
Former OceanGate scientific director Dr Steven Ross is testifying as part of an investigation into the “catastrophic implosion” of the Titan submersible that killed five people last June.
New footage of the Titan wreck released today
A two-week-long hearing is ongoing into the tragedy in Charlestown, South Carolina, under a US Coast Guard panel.
Ross told officials today that days before the sub set off for the fatal Titanic trip, passengers onboard were thrown about during a malfunction.
The submersible pilot, OceanGate co-founder Stockton Rush, crashed into bulkheading, Dr Ross said.
One passenger was left hanging upside down and the other two managed to wedge themselves into the bow end cap, he added.
Dr Ross said that he did not know if an assessment of the Titan hull was performed after the incident.
Today chilling new video of the doomed vessel was released, showing pieces of the Titan strewn across the ocean floor.
The harrowing footage of the remains shows “the aft dome, aft ring, remnants of the hull and carbon fibre debris”, the US Coast Guard said during proceedings today.
Dr Ross’ testimony follows damning revelations by OceanGate’s former operations boss David Lochridge earlier this week.
He said that the viewport and elements of the dome ceilings deviated from standard design processes.
Lochridge said he was “appalled” by the O-ring – a type of seal.
He said: “There was so many laminations, so many voids. The imperfections were incredible.
“There was glue runs everywhere. And that’s a red flag.”
He described the hull as “porous paper. It was disgusting”.
