The Titan submersible, operated by OceanGate, which was destroyed during a mission to the wreck of the Titanic, imploded as a result of flawed design and serious safety oversight failures, according to findings released by U.S. authorities.

The accident, which occurred in June 2023 in the North Atlantic, claimed the lives of all five people on board — including OceanGate’s CEO, Stockton Rush.

The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that the vessel’s engineering design was “inadequate”, leading to structural deficiencies and its inability to meet strength and reliability standards.

The report states that the company failed to conduct essential testing, meaning it was unaware of the sub’s real pressure limits. Furthermore, the Titan had reportedly sustained prior damage and should not have been reused without proper repairs.

The submersible vanished in the North Atlantic while descending toward the Titanic wreck. In August, the U.S. Coast Guard released its own investigation, calling the disaster “entirely preventable” and criticizing OceanGate’s severely flawed safety practices.

Stockton Rush himself piloted the Titan on its final dive. The other victims were French deep-sea explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, businessman Shahzada Dawood, his 19-year-old son Suleman Dawood, and British billionaire Hamish Harding — all of whom had paid up to $250,000 each to take part in the expedition.