NEW YORK (AP) -- The Staten Island ferry that crashed, killing 10 people, was going at full speed as it hurtled into the pier, a federal investigator said Friday.
``It was not speeding up but ... it was under what we'd say full speed at the time,'' National Transportation Safety Board Chairwoman Ellen Engleman told ABC's ``Good Morning America.''
``What was happening is it was not slowing down,'' she said. She said the finding was based on evidence from the engine and other technical information. Some witnesses had said it seemed the boat could have been speeding up.
The ferry Andrew J. Barberi, carrying around 1,500 passengers from lower Manhattan to Staten Island, veered wildly off course Wednesday afternoon, crashing into a maintenance pier hundreds of feet from the slip where it normally docks at St. George Terminal. In addition to the 10 who died, 65 people were injured, including three who lost limbs.
Authorities were looking into whether a pilot's blood pressure medication caused him to slump at the controls and whether other crew members - who might have been able to take over for him - were out of position.
A high-ranking law enforcement source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said investigators were probing what part prescription drugs might have played in the accident.
Early blood sample results from the pilot, Assistant Capt. Richard Smith, indicated alcohol was not a factor in the tragedy, the source said. Smith attempted suicide after the crash and remained in critical condition Friday.
Investigators also were examining conflicting reports on the positions of other crew members.
Under city Department of Transportation procedures, the pilot and captain are typically both in the pilot house as the boat enters port. ``If the policy ... was implemented at the time of the accident, we don't know,'' Engleman said earlier.
The NTSB, which is leading the probe, began interviewing deckhands and engineering crew members Thursday, as well as survivors of the crash and their families.
Investigators were gathering background information on the crew, including Smith, and were creating a ``72-hour history'' leading up to the crash.
Smith, 55, remained hospitalized under police guard. Authorities said he bolted from the scene of the crash and twice attempted suicide at his home. He spoke with police Wednesday but was not interviewed in depth, Engleman said. Investigators will talk to him when it is ``medically prudent,'' she said Friday.
Investigators confirmed that Smith also was at the helm of the Andrew J. Barberi when it crashed into the Staten Island dock in July 1995, injuring some passengers. That accident was blamed on a propeller failure.
The possible role of prescription drugs emerged in comments Thursday by City Councilman Michael McMahon, who represents part of Staten Island, after a briefing with city officials. He said Smith collapsed at the controls and appeared to have lost consciousness because of ``health problems and medication'' - reportedly for a blood pressure problem.
``By the time the other captain could get control of the ship, it was too late,'' McMahon said.
An attorney representing Smith, Alan Abramson, spoke with the pilot's wife Thursday and issued a statement saying the family hopes ``people will not rush to judgment.''
Blood samples were also taken from the rest of the crew; some results were already in and under review, Engleman said. She was unsure when they would be released.
Engleman said the NTSB investigation would consider other possible causes, such as the weather and engineering factors, and could take up to a year. It was windy at the time of the crash, but officials have said the ferries regularly operate in such conditions.
Investigators were also speaking with an attorney for the ship's captain to arrange a session with him.
The hobbled ferry was moored next to the terminal where thousands of commuters boarded ships Thursday as service was restored. The ferries, with their free 25-minute cruises across New York Harbor, ordinarily carry 70,000 people daily between Staten Island and lower Manhattan.
The dead, one woman and nine men, ranged from age 25 to 52, police said. They hailed from all backgrounds - a diplomatic security expert at the United Nations, a chef at a Times Square hotel, an electrician. One, an insurance lawyer, had escaped from the World Trade Center during the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.
In all, 65 people were treated for injuries sustained in the crash - 37 at Staten Island University Hospital and 28 at St. Vincent's Hospital, where Smith was also treated.
Three people suffered amputations. Fourteen people remained hospitalized Friday; six, including the pilot, were in critical condition.
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