Duck Boat Accident

LaRea

@69fastback you're so right.  Both captains should have known better.  Shouldn't have gone out.  Should have issued PFDs at the first sign of serious stuff.  AND -- loosened the side curtains.  That's what doomed them.  Had they opened the sides and issued PFDs, it could have ended up with everyone cold and wet.  

So, is it a failure of training?  An example of corporate greed, prioritizing schedule over safety?  Individual hubris of the captains?  Wish I knew.

Dude_Himself

I've been in 70+ straight line gusts (40+ sustained for the duration of the microburst, which lasted about an hour) in a 20' cuddy on a large body of water - it's survivable if you know what you're doing. There was no where to run that day, so we dropped the bimini, donned our PFD's with strobes/whistles/knives, made a securite call with our location, the location/direction of the microburst, and the number of souls on board, and made sure the emergency supplies were reachable. We experienced a water spout, 2 near-miss lightning strikes, and basically a white squall (couldn't see more than 5' any direction). The CG checked in with us via VHF every 15 minutes until visibility returned enough to run for the dock.

From the eyewitness testimony this captain failed across the board. Had the side curtains been unzipped and PFDs used when the ship sank the passengers would have had a bad day, and I expect 1-2 could have still drowned if they panicked and weren't strong swimmers, but they wouldn't be 12' underwater trapped inside the Duck.

Dude_Himself

My other thought - people are sheep.

I don't trust my safety (or my family's) to anyone. Hard. Stop. That's my job.

If I was on that Duck (if I didn't check the radar and decide to reschedule) my kids would have had PFD's on the instant we knew bad weather was inbound. Keeping calm does not equal not being prepared just in case. I would have laughed with my daughters while getting them strapped in, then my wife and myself, and then helped others if there was time.

pistole

on any thing that floats , be near the exits

LaRea

Going back to this 2018 accident:  The NTSB found the company at fault for sending the boats out in bad weather.  NTSB also faulted the USCG for "for failing to require duck boats to adjust their design after 13 people died in an Arkansas sinking in 1999."

https://thehill.com/policy/transportation/ports-waterways/495091-ntsb-faults-company-coast-guard-in-fatal-duck-boat

Cableguy Greg

That accident caused the duck boats in Pittsburgh to go out of business. Crazy.

boatman37

Yeah. Me and wife went on the ones in Pittsburgh a few years ago. Much calmer conditions here but I was prepared to swim if I had to...lol. But it was a cool experience

trip_n

i passed thru  couple weekends ago = it was a eerie feeling 

JonnyM

I was in the process of getting hired for the Duck Boats in Pittsburgh last year and they never called me back.  Shortly after, I found out they were not opening again and sold off all their boats.