John Cota was piloting a container ship, the Cosco Busan, that hit San Francisco's Bay Bridge on November 7, 2007, spilling 58,000 gallons of oil. Cota initially reported the accident was insignificant, and that the ship had just "touched" the bridge. He has been charged with violating federal pollution laws, violating both the Clean Water Act and the Migratory Bird Act. If convicted, Cota could face a $115,000 fine and up to 18 months in prison.

1. Accident date: November 7, 2007
2. Initial reports: 140 gallons of oil spilled
3. Actual spill: 58,000 gallons
4. Estimated 2,000 birds killed in the spill
5. Bay Bridge links San Francisco and Oakland

• Topix.net: John Cota
• Google News: John Cota
• San Francisco Chronicle: Spill pilot seeks change of venue (May 10, 2008)
• The New York Times: Oil Spill Pilots Record Indicated Problems (April 10, 2008)
• Reuters: Ship pilot charged in San Francisco oil spill (March 17, 2008)
  • The Justice Department has argued that Cota's behavior was negligent, stating that "he failed to pilot a collision-free course and failed to adequately review the proposed course with the Captain and crew on official navigational charts."
• Nevada Appeal: Ship's pilot charged in crash that spilled oil into San Francisco Bay (March 17, 2008)
  • Cota has claimed that he did try to use the radar to navigate through fog, but that the machine became "distorted" and "unreliable."
• Associated Press (Breitbart): Ship's Pilot Charged in Oil Spill (March 17, 2008)
• MercuryNews.com: Pilot of ship that spilled oil charged with criminal negligence (March 17, 2008)
• CBS News: Oil Spill Pilot Thought Impact Was Minor (November 12, 2007)
• SFGate.com: Bar pilot on errant ship had several mishaps in past (November 9, 2007)
• Maritime Accident Casebook: US Coast Guard : Cosco Busan Pilot Incompetent (December 11, 2007)
• NPR: San Francisco Bay Oil Spill Investigated (November 13, 2007)
  • Cota argued that he did not understand the severity of his crash at first because he did not feel the impact or hear a loud noise. He initially reported that the vessel had only "touched" the bridge.
• Google Blog Search: John Cota

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