The NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) will determine the cause of the sinking of El Faro. The decision will be made in a meeting on December 2017. The El Faro sank on 29 September 2015, when it was near the eye of the hurricane Joaquin. All 33 crewmembers perished in the accident. The investigators focused on recovering evidence from the wreckage, i.e. from the voyage data recorder which contained a 30-hour audio recording.