The Nation - News from March 29, 1989

The National Transportation Safety Board, ending its investigation of a Kentucky school bus accident in which 27 people were killed, recommended that more than one-fifth of the nation’s school buses be phased out of use. The board said the May 14, 1988, crash was caused by “the alcohol-impaired condition” of a driver whose pickup truck was going the wrong way on an interstate when it collided head-on with the bus. But it also said characteristics of the 11-year-old bus contributed to the accident’s severity. The board’s report noted its unprotected fuel tank, flammable seat covers and partially obstructed rear door.