The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report about a deadly tour bus crash on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, but the investigation has a long way to go.

The report adds little new information about what caused the bus to lose control when driving around a curve in Westmoreland County.

The bus crashed into an embankment Jan. 5, causing what state police described as a chain-reaction crash with three tractor-trailers and a car. Five people were killed, including the bus driver, and 60 others were hurt.

A final report from the board may take as long as two years. That final determination will be made after further tests and a public hearing. Officials then will issue recommendations to improve national road safety.

The driver of the tour bus, Shuang Qing Feng, 58, of Flushing, N.Y., was driving west on a downhill curve at 3:30 a.m. The bus veered toward toward the median in the middle of the turnpike, then swerved right, crossing all travel lanes and hitting a steep embankment, according to the report.

State police said the bus hit the center barrier before swerving right, but the NTSB report does not include this detail.

After it hit the embankment, the bus, belonging to Z&D Tours of Rockaway, N.J., rolled onto its passenger side and slid to a stop on the road. It stretched diagonally across the westbound lanes, with its underside facing oncoming traffic, according to the report.

A FedEx tractor-trailer hit the bottom of the bus, ejecting two bus passengers, Eileen Zelis Aria, 35, of Bronx, N.Y., and Jaremy Vazquez, 9, of Brooklyn, N.Y., police said. They were killed.

A UPS tractor-trailer hit both the bus and the FedEx truck, according to the report. The UPS truck was based out of the Harrisburg operating center and driven by Daniel Kepner, 53, of Lewistown, Pa., who was teamed with Dennis Kehler, 48, of Lebanon, Pa. They also died at the scene, along with the bus driver.

There were 61 passengers in the bus; the surviving 59 were injured.

The FedEx driver was uninjured, and the co-driver suffered minor injuries.

A car, carrying a driver and two passengers, swerved to avoid the crash, sliding off the road next to the UPS truck, according to the report.

A second UPS tractor-trailer also swerved off the road, hitting the car. The driver of the second UPS tractor-trailer and the occupants of the car were not hurt, police said.

The turnpike was shut down for nearly 15 hours. The injured, some of whom spoke little or no English, were taken to hospitals across the region. None suffered life-threatening injuries.

In the immediate aftermath, NTSB investigators gathered evidence, including an outward facing camera from one of the tractor-trailers; an engine module from the bus; preliminary information about a Dec. 17 inspection of the bus, which didn’t identify any issues; and a recent review of the driver, which showed satisfactory marks, according to officials.

The board is still gathering records on the other drivers’ records, as well as additional information on vehicle performance and “the safety culture of Z&D Tour,” according to the report.

Renatta Signorini and Jacob Tierney are Tribune-Review staff writers. You can contact Renatta at 724-837-5374, rsignorini@tribweb.com or via Twitter @byrenatta. You can contact Jacob at 724-836-6646, jtierney@tribweb.com, or via Twitter @soolseem.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)