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Article: Ship pilot to retire as probe into crash continues
- Article from:
- AP Online
- Article date:
- July 2, 2008
- Author:
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A container ship pilot will retire rather than testify at a hearing on his conduct when a vessel he was piloting struck a bridge support tower last year, creating the worst oil spill in San Francisco Bay in nearly two decades.
Capt. John Cota said in a letter to state licensing authorities that he is ending his career because the multiple investigations into his actions left him "in an impossible situation."
Investigators have been probing whether Cota's sleep disorder or medications contributed to the accident. He has been charged with lying about his medical record, his licenses have been suspended and he is a subject of several lawsuits related to the Nov. 7 spill.