The OceanGate Titan submersible tragically imploded near the Titanic wreck in 2023, killing five people, after a series of engineering flaws and damage that went undetected.

US authorities conducted hearings and released a detailed 335-page report in August 2025, criticizing OceanGate’s design and maintenance failures that contributed to the accident.

The report highlighted that if OceanGate had followed standard emergency response protocols, the Titan could have been located sooner, although rescue efforts were ultimately futile.

The NTSB concluded that the sub was damaged during earlier dives and built with flawed engineering practices, which contributed to the catastrophic failure.

The company failed to properly test the Titan and was unaware of its true durability, leading to the disaster, despite operating with a high ticket price of $250,000 per passenger.

The Titan was on a mission approximately 435 miles south of Newfoundland when communication was lost an hour and 45 minutes into its descent, and it was reported missing eight hours later.

Following the tragedy, OceanGate suspended operations and cooperated with investigations, with authorities calling for stricter industry standards and regulations for human-occupant pressure vessels.

Investigations revealed a flawed safety culture at OceanGate, with indications that the company considered influencing regulators politically and disregarded safety regulations.

Both the Coast Guard and the NTSB described the incident as preventable, citing critical safety deficiencies, safety procedure gaps, and OceanGate’s disregard for warnings, especially from co-founder Stockton Rush.

Recommendations include creating a Coast Guard-led panel of deep-submersible experts to improve safety standards and establishing stricter regulations for pressure vessels used in human-occupied submersibles.

Despite being advised to remove the Titan from service after damage was detected during the 80th dive, OceanGate continued operating it due to flawed monitoring data and inadequate emergency protocols.

The final voyage was led by OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, with passengers paying $25,000 each, including notable explorers like Paul-Henri Nargeolet and members of the Dawood family.