What we know about Z & D Tour, the company operating bus involved in deadly PA Turnpike crash

MT. PLEASANT, Pa. — State police said the company operating a coach bus involved in a deadly chain reaction crash Sunday morning on the Pennsylvania Turnpike was Z & D Tour Inc.

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According to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the company is based out of Rockaway, New Jersey, and has been in business since 2012.

Z & D Tour employed 15 drivers and had eight vehicles.

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Prior to Sunday’s Turnpike crash, the FMCSA reported the company had no vehicles out of service and had not been involved in any crashes in the last two years. All of their vehicles had been inspected and 12 of the 15 drivers had also been inspected.

Inspection records show they are licensed to carry passengers on interstates. In the past two years, the bus wasn’t involved in any accidents and was inspected 12 times. It was given a “satisfactory” rating in November 2018.

At a press conference, officials with the National Transportation Safety Board said they had removed the Engine Control Module from the bus in the hopes it could provide information such as speed and steering input.

RELATED: People injured in PA Turnpike crash that killed 5 treated at number of area hospitals

At the time of the crash, there were 56 passengers on the bus and one driver.

NTSB investigators said the bus has last been inspected on Dec. 17, 2019. No issues were found with the vehicle. The driver of the bus, Shuang Qing Feng, 58 of Flushing, New York, was one of the people killed in the crash. NTSB officials said he had just had a review in 2018 and, again, there were no issues or violations found.

The NTSB has requested Feng’s driving record as well as the records of the other drivers in the crash.

There were no seatbelts on the bus, according to NTSB officials, which may have prevented individuals from being ejected during the crash. As for the bus driver, it was not clear yet if he was or was not wearing one. At the national level, seat belts are not required to be in place or worn on coach buses.

Federal investigators found out the bus driver had a valid commercial driver’s license and no history of crashes in New York.

NTSB holds news conference on deadly turnpike crash NTSB holds news conference on deadly turnpike crash

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