Nation IN BRIEF : NEW YORK : Crash Probe Focuses on Subway Brakes

Investigators checked mechanical systems, including an aging automatic braking system designed to prevent calamity in cases of human error, in their probe of New York City’s worst subway crash in 63 years. National Transportation Safety Board investigators also planned to talk to the conductor of the train that crashed Wednesday in Lower Manhattan, killing five passengers and injuring more than 200. A test given 13 hours after the accident showed the alcohol content in the bloodstream of the motorman, Robert Ray, was 0.21%, twice the legal limit in New York state. Ray, 38, was held on five counts of manslaughter.