Please ensure Javascript is enabled for purposes of website accessibility

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

5 hours ago

Trump Vowed to Dismantle MS-13. His Deal With Bukele Threatens That Effort.

8 hours ago

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

9 hours ago

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

9 hours ago

Paramount Settles With Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Interview for $16 Million

9 hours ago

Republicans Tee up House Vote on Trump Bill, Outcome Uncertain

9 hours ago

What’s Next for Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs After His Sex Trafficking Trial?

9 hours ago

Dalai Lama Says He Will Be Reincarnated, Trust Will Identify Successor

10 hours ago
Were Coast Guard Rules Ignored Before Duck Boat Tragedy?
gvw_ap_news
By Associated Press
Published 7 years ago on
July 24, 2018

Share

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 of the agency’s St. Louis office 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.

Storm Came up Suddenly

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.
Turbulent weather has caused trouble for duck boats before.
Coast Guard records show that a similar duck boat in Philadelphia took on a 3- or 4-foot wave on Oct. 3, 2015, as it carried 12 passengers on a tour of the Delaware River. Water got into the engine compartment, causing the engine to stall and setting the vessel adrift.
The boat was safely towed to shore. The cause of the failure was determined to be “the rapidly worsening river conditions.” But the Coast Guard also cited a “failure to anticipate the change in the weather conditions.”
“The change of the tide from slack to flood and the strong northerly winds caused the waves to quickly build and exceeded the restriction on the vessel’s COI (certificate of inspection),” the Coast Guard report stated.
Duck boats were designed for military use in World War II. The Missouri boat that sank was built in 1944.

Stretch Duck 07 Had Other Problems

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 2015 to April 2015, but the report does not state a reason other than “hazardous/unsafe condition.” Another report from February 2015 cited leakage in a wheel well caused by sealant failure.
The owner of an inspection service in the St. Louis area said he issued a written report in August 2017 to the Branson duck boat operator, Ripley Entertainment, after inspecting two dozen boats. In the report, Steve Paul of Test Drive Technologies explained that the vessels’ engines — and pumps that remove water from their hulls — might fail in inclement weather.

Photo of divers going to retrieve the duck boat that sank in Branson, Mo.
Divers from the Missouri State Highway Patrol enter the water at Table Rock Lake to begin salvage operations of a duck boat that sank, killing 17 people last week. (Nathan Papes /The Springfield News-Leader via AP)

Duck Boats Prone to This Type of Accident

On Saturday, former NTSB chairman James Hall said the design of duck boats makes them prone to the type of accident that occurred in Missouri, particularly when weather turns bad. He said they should be banned.
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. Whether to advise passengers to use life jackets is an “operation decision” made by the captain, Stoermer said.
Several survivors made it to safety by climbing aboard another sightseeing boat that was nearby.
Many survivors told Missouri State Highway Patrol chaplain Steve Martin that they were able to swim to the Branson Belle paddle-wheeler. Some climbed up the paddle wheel itself. Others clung to the side of the boat until bystanders pulled them to safety.
“The waves were kind of pushing them toward the boat,” Martin said.
Ripley Entertainment’s website said it was offering to pay for all medical and funeral expenses for victims, to return all personal items from the accident scene and to help with families’ travel or accommodations. The company also said it was offering grief counseling for its own employees.
Nine of the people who died belonged to one Indiana family. Others killed came from Missouri, Arkansas, and Illinois. The dead included five children. Fourteen people survived.
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.
 

DON'T MISS

What Are Fresno Real Estate Experts Predicting for 2025 and Beyond?

DON'T MISS

First California EV Mandates Hit Automakers This Year. Most Are Not Even Close

DON'T MISS

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

DON'T MISS

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 8,300 Acres, Prompts Evacuations

DON'T MISS

SLO Deputies Fatally Shoot Man in Los Osos Weeks After US Marshal Impersonation Arrest

DON'T MISS

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

DON'T MISS

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

DON'T MISS

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

DON'T MISS

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

DON'T MISS

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

DON'T MISS

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

DON'T MISS

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

UP NEXT

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

UP NEXT

Check Out Newest Downtown Mural. It’s a Spectacular Tribute to Fresno Artisans

UP NEXT

Bryan Kohberger to Plead Guilty to Murders of Four Idaho Students

UP NEXT

Ukraine Voices Concern as US Halts Some Missile Shipments

UP NEXT

Poll: Most Americans Say National Divide, Political Violence Threaten Democracy

UP NEXT

Paramount Settles With Trump Over ‘60 Minutes’ Interview for $16 Million

UP NEXT

Four Rescued After Kings River Float Turns Dangerous

UP NEXT

Trump Pulls Back 150 Guard Troops From Federal Duties in California

UP NEXT

Tulare County Gang Robber Sentenced to Life in Prison for Attempted Murder of Police Officer

UP NEXT

Labor Icon Huerta Breaks Ground on Fresno Park Bearing Her Name

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

2 hours ago

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

2 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

3 hours ago

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

3 hours ago

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

3 hours ago

Del Monte Files for Bankruptcy. Gets Nearly $1B to Keep Producing Through Process

4 hours ago

Who is Running for Fresno Area Offices in 2026? An Updated Look

4 hours ago

CIA Review Finds Flaws but Does Not Dispute Finding Putin Sought to Sway 2016 Vote to Trump

4 hours ago

Poorest Americans Dealt Biggest Blow Under Senate Republican Tax Package

5 hours ago

Check Out Newest Downtown Mural. It’s a Spectacular Tribute to Fresno Artisans

5 hours ago

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

WASHINGTON – Republicans in the House of Representatives on Wednesday struggled to pass President Donald Trump’s massive tax-cut...

2 hours ago

Speaker of the House Mike Johnson speaks to the press, as Republican lawmakers struggle to pass U.S. President Donald Trump's sweeping spending and tax bill, on Capitol Hill, in Washington, D.C., U.S., July 2, 2025. (Reuters/Annabelle Gordon)
2 hours ago

House Republicans Say They Expect to Vote Tonight on Trump’s Tax-Cut Bill

The Madre Fire in San Luis Obispo County has rapidly expanded to 8,396 acres with no containment, prompting evacuation orders and warnings near New Cuyama. (CalFire)
2 hours ago

San Luis Obispo’s Madre Fire Grows to 8,300 Acres, Prompts Evacuations

Andrew Biscay, 40, was arrested Friday, June 20, 2025, after deputies found him with a fake U.S. Marshal’s badge, homemade firearm, and law enforcement-style gear during a warrant arrest. (Madera County SO)
2 hours ago

SLO Deputies Fatally Shoot Man in Los Osos Weeks After US Marshal Impersonation Arrest

On Tuesday, July 1, 2025, a Madera County sheriff’s deputy was injured while trying to arrest a wanted felon, Felix Adrian Nucamendi Carrasco, 40, who later fled and was captured near Raymond Road. (Madera County SO)
2 hours ago

Madera County Deputy Injured, Wanted Felon Arrested After Violent Struggle

A wildfire dubbed the Madre Fire has burned over 3,300 acres near New Cuyama with 0% containment, officials said Wednesday, July 2, 2025. (CalFire)
2 hours ago

San Luis Obispo County Wildfire Burns More Than 3,000 Acres. No Containment Yet

3 hours ago

Wired Wednesday: Why Is State Lawmaker Taking Aim at Rooftop Solar?

Jose Luna (left), 33, and Ralph Grajeda, 45, both of Visalia, have been sentenced for their roles in the 2020 shotgun killing of Robert Soto at a local motel. (Tulare County DA)
3 hours ago

Two Visalia Men Sentenced in 2021 Motel Killing

A U.S. Justice Department logo or seal showing Justice Department headquarters, known as "Main Justice," is seen behind the podium in the Department's headquarters briefing room before a news conference with the Attorney General in Washington, January 24, 2023. (Reuters File)
3 hours ago

Ex-Jan. 6 Defendant Gets Life in Prison for Plot to Kill FBI Agents

Help continue the work that gets you the news that matters most.

Search

Send this to a friend