NTSB probe: Tire puncture caused Texas bus crash

By DANNY ROBBINS Associated Press

DALLAS (AP) - An investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board has determined that a tire puncture caused a bus crash that killed 17 members of Houston's Vietnamese Catholic community last year.

The findings were presented at an NTSB meeting Tuesday in Washington. The board is expected to act on the report before the end of the day.

The crash occurred in August 2008 when a charter bus carrying 55 passengers to a retreat in Missouri plunged over a highway bridge in Sherman, about 60 miles north of Dallas.

The NTSB investigation found that a retreaded tire on the vehicle's right front axle failed. Federal regulations prohibit retreads from being affixed to the front of buses. However, the NTSB determined that the retreading itself didn't cause the tire failure.