First stage of Qtown jet boat crash investigation complete

An initial investigation into a jet boat crash in Queenstown injuring 10 people has been completed but authorities are staying quiet on what caused the crash.

Queenstown’s Skippers Canyon Jet remained closed yesterday after suspending its services following Saturday’s crash.

Ten people were injured when the boat crashed into a wall in Skippers Canyon. A middle-aged Canadian woman was flown to Dunedin Hospital with a broken femur, while the remaining injured people were flown to Lakes Hospital with minor injuries.

The Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) has now completed an inspection of the damaged boat, interviewed witnesses, recorded the crash scene and secured company records, a spokesman said.

‘‘This is as much as I am able to say. This is because all evidence gathered for a TAIC investigation has extensive legal protection from disclosure. This prohibits TAIC staff from talking in detail about it.’’

He was unable say when the commission’s report might be published.

‘‘The commission is thorough and its inquiries generally take one to two years to complete, but sometimes things take longer.’’

Skippers Canyon Jet marketing manager Gavin Larsen said they had not resumed operations and were unsure when they would reopen. The jet boat driver was doing well and had helped investigators on Sunday, he said.

Queenstown harbourmaster and auditor Marty Black said the region’s jet boat tourism industry had a good reputation and there were few incidents, given how many people went on the boats.

He estimated up to 400,000 people participated in jet boat tours every year.