Tire Failure Caused Wawayanda Band Bus Crash That Killed 2
A charter bus crash that killed two Long Island educators on a Hudson Valley highway in 2023 was caused by a damaged tire, according to the final accident report.
Late Farmingdale High School band director Gina Pellettiere (left) and Beatrice Ferrari died in the crash on I-84 in Wawayanda on Sept. 21, 2023.
Late Farmingdale High School band director Gina Pellettiere and her 2-year-old son Joseph.
The report – released by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Thursday, July 24 – found that prolonged underinflation and prior impact damage caused the left-front tire to blow. That sent the bus careening through a cable barrier and tumbling down an embankment on I-84 in Wawayanda on Sept. 21, 2023.
At the time of the accident, the bus was carrying 40 members of Long Island’s Farmingdale High School marching band – along with three chaperones – to a camp in Pennsylvania.
The impact
killed the band’s longtime director
, 43-year-old Gina Pellettiere, of Massapequa, as well as 77-year-old Beatrice Ferrari, a retired social studies teacher from Farmingdale. Both women were ejected from the vehicle during the rollover and died at the scene.
The bus driver was also ejected and seriously injured. Fourteen other occupants sustained serious injuries, and 27 had minor injuries. At least five students were in critical condition in the immediate aftermath.
What the NTSB Found
The NTSB found that only one passenger was wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash—a student who walked away with only minor injuries. All others in the front rows were either seriously hurt or killed after being thrown from the vehicle.
Investigators determined that tire pressure neglect played a major role. The front tire showed signs of chronic underinflation, with evidence of overheating and structural separation long before the crash, according to the NTSB’s report.
Had the bus been equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system, the issue might have been detected in advance, the report said.
The bus was equipped with inward- and outward-facing cameras, which captured the crash sequence and the driver’s movements. The NTSB emphasized the importance of such recording systems for proactive safety management.
Changes Going Forward
The crash spurred new legislation in New York: As of April 2025, charter buses must now be equipped with seat belts and passengers are required by law to wear them, regardless of age.
The NTSB also urged schools and organizations using charter buses to adopt strict seatbelt policies and routine tire pressure checks, even when buses aren’t equipped with monitoring systems.
Remembering the Victims
Pellettiere was a beloved Farmingdale band director who taught at the school for 13 years and led its award-winning wind ensemble and marching band, one of the largest on Long Island.
“She was a passionate teacher, skilled musician, and loving mother,” wrote one GoFundMe organizer. Tributes poured in from former students and educators across the region, calling her a “light” in their lives and a force in the music education community.
Ferrari, a retired teacher, had mentored countless students and fellow educators. In 2012, she was honored as a Distinguished Woman in Education by the Town of Oyster Bay for her decades of service and impact.
