Duck boat probe will focus on Coast Guard weather rules
The investigation into the sinking of a sightseeing boat that claimed 17 lives will look at whether operators violated Coast Guard rules by venturing onto a Missouri lake as thunderstorms rolled in, a Coast Guard official said Monday.
More than three days after the deadly accident, a crane attached to a barge pulled the amphibious duck boat from Table Rock Lake near Branson, where it was submerged in 80 feet of water.
Divers attached a sling to the 33-foot, 4-ton vessel, then raised and drained it, officials said. It was to be loaded onto a vehicle and turned over to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Coast Guard Lt. Tasha Sadowicz said the boat that capsized and sank was known as “Stretch Duck 07.” Like all 22 duck boats in operation in Branson, it was required to undergo annual inspections. The most recent was in February.
But Sadowicz said the Coast Guard’s “certificate of inspection” placed limits on when the boats can enter the water based on wind speed and “sea state,” which refers to the height of waves.
Sadowicz did not have information on Stretch Duck 07’s limits but said they will be a focal point of the investigation.
Some witnesses have said the lake was calm and the storm came up suddenly Thursday evening. Sadowicz said investigators want to find out if operators were adequately monitoring the weather and should have reasonably known a storm was approaching.
Stretch Duck 07 had a few apparently minor problems in recent years.
In 2011, the vessel “lost steering while underway on Table Rock Lake” with 30 passengers on board. The driver was able to make it back to shore, according to Coast Guard records.
On June 6, 2015, water got into the engine compartment as the boat entered the lake from land, a process known as “splash down.”
A January 2016 inspection found inoperable heat detectors, which were later fixed.
The Coast Guard prohibited the vessel from operating from January to April 2015, but the report does not state a reason other than “hazardous/unsafe condition.” A report from February 2015 cited leakage in a wheel well caused by sealant failure.
At a news conference Monday in Branson, Coast Guard Capt. Scott Stoermer said the investigation will also look into whether the boat captain followed company guidelines regarding use of life jackets.
Missouri law requires boat passengers ages 7 and younger to wear life jackets, but commercial vessels like the duck boats are exempt. The law requires enough life jackets for passengers and crew, and jackets that fit all of the children.
Several survivors made it to safety by climbing aboard another sightseeing boat that was nearby.
Divers recovered a video-recording device from the boat and sent it to the NTSB lab in Washington, D.C. Agency spokesman Keith Holloway said it was unclear what the recorder captured.