According to the Quarterly Incidents Briefs summary for cases closed in the New York area during the first quarter of calendar year 1999, nearly 60 percent of the incidents involving vessel casualty or malfunction were related to equipment failure - either by normal wear and tear, or through lack of preventive maintenance. Also included in the report are incidents which occurred on vessels at sea, enroute to New York City at the time of the incident. Of the 49 cases, lack of preventative maintenance was the cause of 16 incidents, the highest total of the five causes, which also include mechanical error, human error, shoaling and miscellaneous.