On May 31, 2001, near Mountainburg, Arkansas a Gayle Stuart Trucking, Inc., truck-tractor semitrailer collided with a 65-passenger school bus operated by the Mountainburg, Arkansas, Public Schools. Three school bus passengers were fatally injured; two other passengers received serious injuries. Four passengers, the school bus driver, and the truck driver sustained minor injuries. The major safety issues discussed in this report are the poor condition of the tractor semitrailer brakes, inadequate motor carrier inspections and oversight, and use of propane tanks on school buses, and occupant protection within school buses. As a result of its investigation, the Safety Board made recommendations to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance, the National Fire Protection Association, and spring brake manufacturers. The Safety Board reiterated a recommendation to the U.S. Department of Transportation.
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