Investigations
Hull Failure and Implosion of Submersible Titan

Hull Failure and Implosion of Submersible Titan
What Happened

​​​​​​​​​​​​On June 18, 2023, about 1047 local time, while diving to the wreck of the ocean liner Titanic in the North Atlantic Ocean, about 372 miles southeast of St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada, the submersible Titan’s pressure hull failed, and the vessel imploded. All five persons on board the vessel died. The Titan was a total loss; according to a 2023 customs declaration, the submersible’s value, combined with its launch and recovery system, was estimated at $5.6 million CAD (about $ 4.2 million USD).
What We Found

​We found that the Titan pressure vessel likely sustained damage after it surfaced at the end of dive 80 in the form of one or more delaminations, which weakened the pressure vessel. We found that after dive 82, the Titan sustained additional damage (of unknown origin) that further deteriorated and weakened the pressure vessel. The existing delaminations and additional damage that deteriorated the condition of the pressure vessel between dive 82 and the casualty dive (dive 88) resulted in a local buckling failure that led to the implosion of the Titan. 
https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/Pages/DCA23FM036.aspx