Safety Board Says Amtrak Engineer Was Not Using Cell Phone During Pa. Crash

The engineer of an Amtrak train that crashed last month in Pennsylvania was reportedly not on the phone when the Northeast Corridor train crashed, killing eight people on board.

The National Transportation Safety Board announced this week that Amtrak engineer Brandon Bostian was reportedly not using his phone to text, make phone calls or search the internet when the northbound train traveling from Washington, D.C. to New York crashed outside of Philadelphia on May 12.

The NTSB said in a statement Wednesday that an investigation of Bostian's cell phone records indicated that he had not been distracted by the use of his phone when he took a curve going over 100 mph in a 50 mph zone, causing seven of the train's cars to derail.

Analysis of the cell phone records "does not indicate that any calls, texts, or data usage occurred during the time the engineer was operating the train," the safety board said in a statement.

The NTSB added in its statement that it is "[confirming] that the engineer did not access the train's Wi-Fi system while he was operating the locomotive."

The train reportedly accelerated to 106 miles per hour in the last minute before it derailed on May 12. Investigators have found that although the train's conductor did apply the brakes before the train derailed, the train was still traveling at over 100 miles per hour when it derailed from the track.

Investigators have also said that Bostian's cell phone had been stored in his backpack following the crash, per NTSB regulations for Amtrak engineers.