The design of the Conception passenger ship was one of many factors that led to the deaths of 34 people on September 2, 2019, who were trapped belowdecks when a fire quickly spread through the galley area on the main deck. At a congressional hearing on Monday, National Transportation Safety Board chair Jennifer Homendy said she would never allow her family to overnight on a similar vessel, knowing what she knows now about the Conception's stairs and escape hatch .
Homendy made her statement in answer to a question from Congressmember Salud Carbajal, who convened Monday’s hearing at Santa Barbara City Hall. He chairs the House Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation subcommittee and moved the hearing to Santa Barbara to enable family members of the victims to attend. The three uniformed Coast Guard members attending the hearing somberly shook hands with the six family members present, expressing their condolences for the lives lost.
Homendy had reviewed the Conception’s sister ship, Vision, at its berth in Santa Barbara Harbor during the NTSB’s investigation. Steep stairs led to the bunk room, and a small escape hatch above a triple bunkbed led to the center of the galley’s salon. A requirement that escape hatches be usable and exit to an area different from the main entryway's is among the new regulations that go into effect on March 28.
