OceanGate Tragedy Could Have Been Averted, Says Former Director
David Lochridge, the former operations director at OceanGate, has revealed that the fatal implosion of the Titan submersible could have been prevented if U.S. safety officials had acted on his warnings.
Speaking before a commission investigating the 2023 disaster that killed all five on board, Lochridge expressed disappointment over the inaction of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), which failed to investigate his concerns about the submersible’s safety.
Lochridge stated that he repeatedly raised red flags about the experimental submersible but felt let down when his complaints went ignored. “Had OSHA taken my concerns seriously and investigated, this tragedy might never have occurred,” he testified.
He added that months after his initial report, he was informed by OSHA that no investigation had started, with several cases ahead of his.
Faced with a lawsuit from OceanGate and having countersued, Lochridge eventually walked away, with both cases being dropped.
His testimony sheds light on the systemic failures that may have contributed to the sub’s catastrophic implosion during a voyage to the Titanic wreckage.
