The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released its preliminary report on the sinking of the amphibious passenger vessel Stretch Duck 7, on July 19, 2018. The report does not include any conclusions but provides a recap of the accident and the investigations that followed.
Namely, on Thursday, July 19, 2018, the amphibious passenger vessel ‘Stretch Duck 7’ owned and operated by Ride the Ducks Branson sank in Table Rock Lake, near Branson, Missouri.
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At the time of the incident, there were forecasts for thunderstorms in the area, while the ship experienced winds of over 70 mph. At that time, the ‘Stretch Duck 7’ was carrying 31 persons: 29 passengers and two crewmembers. The vessel sank in approximately 15 feet of water and came to rest on the lake floor at a depth of 70 feet. Seventeen persons died, including one crewmember.
In addition, the Stretch Duck 7 had a video recording system, which was recovered and sent to the NTSB laboratory, with investigators attempting to access data on the system’s hard drive. In addition, a data (SIM) card for the video recording system was also recovered, which was was accessed by engineers at the NTSB laboratory, who viewed the stored videos.
Other electronic devices such as cell phones and a camera were recovered and shipped to NTSB labs. Weather data from the accident was collected, including wind speeds from nearby weather stations. Finally, thirty-three interviews of witnesses, vessel operators, inspectors, and company officials were conducted on scene.
The Stretch Duck 7 was a Coast Guard-inspected passenger vessel and it was salvaged on Monday, July 23. The USCG declared the accident a major marine casualty, and the NTSB is the lead federal investigative agency.
NTSB also refers to other similar accidents that happened in the past. Namely, it has investigated the 1999 sinking of the DUKW boat Miss Majestic near Hot Springs, Arkansas; the 2010 collision between a DUKW boat and a tug and barge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; and the 2015 road collision between a DUKW boat and a motor coach in Seattle, Washington.
