Titan Submersible Malfunctioned and Tossed Around Crew Six Days Before Fatal Implosion

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OceanGate's former scientific director testified that an issue with the vessel's variable ballast tank caused it to invert during a dive

The Titan submersible experienced a malfunction six days before it imploded and killed five people, according to a former scientific director for OceanGate Expeditions.

Marine scientist Steven Ross testified about the incident Thursday, Sept. 19 at a U.S. Coast Guard panel hearing on the 2023 tragedy, per CNN. Ross was a crew member on the failed Dive 87, which took place June 12 about 460 miles away from the Titanic; Stockton Rush, OceanGate’s founder and CEO — who was killed in the Titan implosion a few days later — was the pilot.

According to Ross, the Titan experienced a platform malfunction while it was trying to resurface. An issue with sub’s variable ballast tank, which controls its buoyancy, caused it to invert and throw those on board around.

“The pilot crashed into the rear bulkhead, the rest of the passengers tumbled about,” Ross said. “I ended up standing on the rear bulkhead, one passenger was hanging upside down, the other two managed to wedge themselves into the bow endcap.”

The dive was ultimately called off because it took so long to fix the problem, Ross said. He added: “It was uncomfortable and unpleasant and it took considerable time to correct the problem.” Ross also said he did not know whether the vessel’s hub was inspected after the malfunction.

Ross testified about two other incidents, both of which occurred during Titan dives in 2022. On Dive 80, the crew heard a loud bang, which was chalked up to “a shifting of the pressure hull in its metal cradle that when it popped back into place it could’ve made that loud noise.” (While the sub was missing last year, Rolling Stone reported that a Canadian aircraft searching for the Titan detected “banging” in 30-minute intervals from the area where the divers had disappeared.)

Then, on Dive 81, pilot, Scott Griffith, discovered that one of the vessel’s thrusters reversed when the sub reached the ocean floor; Griffith reportedly had to finish the dive with the thruster working in reverse.