Tour Bus Had Been Cited For Brake Problems

LOS ANGELES — The 17-year-old bus that went out of control and crashed on a Southern California mountain highway, leaving seven dead and dozens injured, had a history of brake and other maintenance problems that attracted increased scrutiny from federal safety officials.

The bus that was carrying 38 people from the popular Big Bear Lake resort area in the San Bernardino National Forest was slapped with eight violations by safety inspectors in October, for problems ranging from fluid leaks to an improperly installed battery, according Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration data reviewed Monday. According to the records, the bus was flagged for brake issues in at least three inspections since October 2011.

The cause of Sunday’s crash is unclear, but early information pointed to a brake problem. Driver Norberto B. Perez told investigators the vehicle lost its brakes while traveling down the winding, two-lane road. Passengers reported Perez saying the brakes weren’t working as he tried to maintain control before the bus hit a sedan, flipped and plowed into a pickup truck hauling a trailer.

Lettering on the bus showed it was operated by Scapadas Magicas LLC, based in National City, near San Diego. The Associated Press tracked the bus’s maintenance records using its license plate and vehicle identification number.

The small company based about 12 miles from the Mexican border is licensed to carry passengers for interstate travel and had no crashes in the past two years. It retained an overall “satisfactory” rating from the motor carrier administration but had been targeted for a higher rate of inspections linked to bus maintenance, the agency said.

Overall, buses operated by the firm flunked 36 percent of random inspections, the records indicate. That’s higher than the national average of 21 percent for similar companies.

Records show the bus involved in the crash was cited eight times for maintenance problems in October and seven times in July. Overall, the bus recorded 22 safety violations in five inspections conducted between October 2011 and October 2012, including problems with brakes, the windshield and tires.

Stephen Keppler of the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, a group with industry and government members, said buses and trucks average about two violations for each inspection.

Jackie Gillan, president of Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a Washington-based advocacy group, said the crash points to the need for improved roof strength and other safety measures.

“We have a long way to go before we can say boarding a motor coach is as safe as boarding an airplane,” she said. Bus passengers “are often riding blindfolded.”

Loading Slideshow

• Victims of a fatal bus crash reach out to comfort each other in the wake of the crash where at least eight people were killed and nearly two dozen injured when a bus carrying a group from Tijuana, Mexico crashed with two other vehicles on its way back from Big Bear Lake on Highway 38 north of Yucaipa, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. Both sides of the highway remained closed two and a half hours after the crash and it was unclear when it would reopen. (AP Photo/The Sun, Rick Sforza)

• Authorities work Monday Feb. 4, 2013, at the scene of Sunday’s fatal tour bus crash on Highway 38 north of Yucaipa, Calif., that left at least eight people dead and dozens injured. The cause of the Sunday crash east of Los Angeles remained under investigation. (AP Photo/The Sun, Rick Sforza)

• Authorities work Monday Feb. 4, 2013, at the scene of Sunday’s fatal tour bus crash on Highway 38 north of Yucaipa, Calif., that left at least eight people dead and dozens injured. The cause of the Sunday crash east of Los Angeles remained under investigation. (AP Photo/The Sun, Rick Sforza)

• Bolldstains and personal items are seen as an investigator from the National Transpoartation Safety Board photographs a tour bus after an accident that killed at least eight people and 38 more were injured after a tour bus, left, carrying a group from Tijuana, Mexico crashed with two other vehicles just north of Yucaipa, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

• Investigators stand at the scene after a tour bus was lifted back onto the road Monday, Feb. 4, 2013, after it collided with two other vehicles and crashed Sunday, killing at least eight people and injuring 38, just north of Yucaipa, Calif. The bus was carrying a tour group from Tijuana, Mexico. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

• A firefighter adjusts a tarp to cover a victim inside after a tow truck lifted a tour bus back onto the road Monday, Feb. 4, 2013, after it collided with two other vehicles and crashed Sunday, killing at least eight people and injuring 38, on Highway 38 just north of Yucaipa, Calif. The bus was carrying a tour group from Tijuana, Mexico. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

• A heavy-duty tow truck lifts a tour bus back onto the road Monday, Feb. 4, 2013, after it collided with two other vehicles and crashed Sunday, killing at least eight people and injuring 38, on Highway 38 just north of Yucaipa, Calif. The bus was carrying a tour group from Tijuana, Mexico. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

• Skid marks from a tour bus are seen Monday, Feb. 4, 2013, after the bus, background, collided with two other vehicles and crashed Sunday, killing at least eight people and injuring 38, on Highway 38 just north of Yucaipa, Calif. The bus was carrying a tour group from Tijuana, Mexico. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

• Jordi Garcia, marketing director of tour operator Interbus, talks to a reporter at the company’s office in a Tijuana, Mexico on Monday Feb. 4,2013. The cause of the Sunday’s tour bus crash that killed at least eight people and left dozens of people injured east of Los Angeles remained under investigation. (AP Photo/Elliot Spagat)

• Authorities continue their investigation of the scene where at least eight people were killed and at least 38 people were injured after a tour bus carrying a group from Tijuana, Mexico crashed with two other vehicles just north of Yucaipa, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

• Authorities continue their investigation of the scene where at least eight people were killed and 38 people were injured after a tour bus carrying a group from Tijuana, Mexico crashed with two other vehicles just north of Yucaipa, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Reed Saxon)

• An investigator photographs the scene of the accident where at least eight people were killed and 38 people were injured after a tour bus carrying a group from Tijuana, Mexico crashed with two other vehicles near Yucaipa, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

• Authorities work the scene of an accident where at least eight people were killed and 38 people were injured after a tour bus carrying a group from Tijuana, Mexico crashed with two other vehicles near Yucaipa, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

• San Bernardino County Fire Department officers and police officers investigate the accident where at least eight people were killed and 38 people were injured after a tour bus carrying a group from Tijuana, Mexico crashed with two other vehicles near Yucaipa, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photo/Ringo H.W. Chiu)

• Authorities continue their investigation at the scene where at least eight people were killed and 38 people were injured after a tour bus carrying a group from Tijuana, Mexico crashed with two other vehicles just north of Yucaipa, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. (AP Photos/Rodrigo Pena)

• A California Highway Patrol officer stands near the crash scene where at least eight people were killed and nearly two dozen were injured when a bus carrying a group from Tijuana, Mexico crashed with two other vehicles on its way back from Big Bear Lake on Highway 38 north of Yucaipa, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. Both sides of the highway remained closed two and a half hours after the crash and it was unclear when it would reopen. (AP Photo/The Sun, Rick Sforza)

• Authorities work the scene where at least eight people were killed and nearly two dozen were injured when a bus carrying a group from Tijuana, Mexico crashed with two other vehicles on its way back from Big Bear Lake on Highway 38 north of Yucaipa, Calif., Sunday, Feb. 3, 2013. Both sides of the highway remained closed two and a half hours after the crash and it was unclear when it would reopen. (AP Photo/The Sun, Rick Sforza)

Tour Bus Had Been Cited For Brake Problems