CONTACT PERSON(S):
    Bill Schroyer/Charlie Hood
    April 14, 2003
    PHONE:
    (850) 488-4405
    SUNCOM:
    278-4405
    CFO:
    03-49
    MEMORANDUM
    TO:
    District School Superintendents
    FROM:
    Wayne V. Pierson
    SUBJECT:
    Structural Defects on Certain Carpenter Manufacturing School Buses
    Recently in Alachua County there was a single-vehicle school bus crash involving a 1991 Carpenter
    Manufacturing Type D school bus with no children on board. As a result, the bus rolled onto its top, and
    the top collapsed down to the seat line.
    Due to the observed deformation of the roof and the post-crash condition of the bus structure, the Alachua
    County School District notified the Department of its concerns.
    For the same reason, the Department
    requested assistance from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), which is now
    conducting a Special Crash Investigation.
    In initial observations of a sample of Carpenter buses built using the same design, personnel from the
    school district and the Department observed a number of deficient structural welds. The subject welds
    are located at the junction of the vertical side posts (between the windows) and the horizontal structural
    member (the “carlin” rail) above the windows. Photographs to illustrate the post-crash condition of the
    bus and the weld locations are attached.
    The most severe defective welds observed were cracked all the way through, resulting in no remaining
    joint between the two structural members, while others were partially cracked or not cracked at all. On
    the bus that crashed, nearly all the side posts were detached from the roof structure.
    Since Carpenter Manufacturing was liquidated several years ago, there is no option we are aware of to
    enlist the manufacturer’s help in positively identifying all of the buses that may be affected by this defect
    and in rectifying it. The buses potentially affected, however, appear to be any Carpenter Type C and D
    bus model built in Mitchell, Indiana, from 1986 to late 1995. According to school district inventory records
    supplied to the Department, this could include approximately 689 Type C buses and 58 Type D buses.
    CFO 03-49
    April 14, 2003
    Page 2
    Each potentially affected bus should be inspected as soon as possible. All subject welds should be
    inspected to determine if the bus is safe to return to service. Complete inspection requires the removal of
    each dome light panel above the windows and the front and rear header panels. If any defective welds
    are identified, we strongly recommend that the bus be removed from service.
    The Department would
    appreciate a report from the district outlining basic information on the manufacture date of the bus (month
    and year), the bus type (C or D), and the numbers and locations of defective welds.
    Carpenter buses built from approximately August 1995 to 1998 in Richmond, Indiana, were reportedly built
    using a significantly different design with single-piece body bows.
    This later design can be readily
    identified by knowledgeable school bus technicians, and there is no evidence to suggest that the buses with
    this later design could have similar defects.
    While we recognize that this situation represents a significant hardship to school districts, we know that
    districts share the Department’s interest in providing the highest level of safety for school children.
    Parents and others should be reminded that school buses remain by far the safest way for children to get
    to school and are about eight times safer than passenger cars per vehicle mile. According to the National
    Academy of Sciences, about 800 school-age children are killed each year during normal school travel
    hours while walking, bicycling, and riding in passenger vehicles other than school buses. Of these 800
    deaths, about 20 (2 percent) -- 5 school bus passengers and 15 pedestrians -- are school bus–related.
    Please let us know if you have questions or comments. We will inform you when we receive a report
    from NHTSA of its findings in this matter.
    WVP:CFH
    Attachment
    cc:
    School District Transportation Directors
    Bus on Roof at Crash Scene
    General Location of Potential Defect (shown on
    crash bus)
    Side View at Crash Scene (right side)
    Light Panel Removed for Inspection
    Post-crash Interior (right side, welds broken;
    roof lifted and supported)
    Cracked Weld (about ½ inch above wire
    grommet; wire held to side for visibility)

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