Federal investigators have determined that the Maryland Transportation Authority (MDTA) failed to complete a crucial vulnerability assessment that could have identified the Francis Scott Key Bridge as being at high risk of collapse from a ship strike well before last year's disaster.

On Thursday, the National Transportation Safety Board revealed the Maryland Transportation Authority missed a critical Key Bridge vulnerability assessment before the collapse.

The safety board issued recommendations as part of its ongoing investigation into the collapse of Baltimore’s Key Bridge last year after it was hit by a ship.