The Table Rock Lake duck boat accident occurred in the evening hours of July 19, 2018, on Table Rock Lake in the Ozarks near Branson, Missouri. A duck boat operated by Ride the Ducks overturned with 31 people aboard during high winds associated with nearby severe thunderstorms, resulting in 17 deaths.
Video Table Rock Lake duck boat accident
Background
The DUKW ("Duck" or "duck boat") is a wheeled amphibious vehicle used by the United States military and its allies during the later years of World War II and the Korean War.
After the Korean War ended, the vehicles became available in surplus and a veteran in Minnesota began a business giving rides aboard the vessels to tourists on the Wisconsin River. Over the last 50 years, the practice has expanded to other areas. Several major tourist destinations in the United States feature duck boat tours, including Boston, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C.
Before the Table Rock Lake accident, there had been several other fatal incidents involving duck boats, notably one near Hot Springs, Arkansas, in 1999, in which 13 people were killed. This incident was attributed to several factors: according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), inadequate maintenance was the main cause, with other contributing factors including inadequate reserve buoyancy, and the continuous canopy roof over the passenger cabin preventing escape.
Maps Table Rock Lake duck boat accident
Accident
The accident occurred shortly after 7 p.m. Central Daylight Time on July 19, 2018, as a line of severe thunderstorms approached the Branson area. Approximately a half-hour prior to the accident, the National Weather Service had issued a severe thunderstorm warning for areas around and including Table Rock Lake. It is not known if the two crew members aboard the vessel were aware of the warning or what action they attempted to take. The National Weather Service reports that winds in the area at the time were in excess of 60 miles per hour (97 km/h) and the storm over the lake was moving "very quickly" and causing "three-foot waves on the lake".
The vessel, one of two owned by Ride the Ducks that was on the lake at the time, began taking on water. The first 911 call was received at 7:09 as the boat was already going under the water, according to the local sheriff. Local officials reported the following morning that all passengers and crew aboard the vessel had been accounted for and confirmed a total of 17 deaths. The ages of those who died in the accident ranged from 1 to 70 years old. Nine were members of a single family.
Investigation
The NTSB dispatched investigators to the accident site the following day. In response to previous incidents involving duck boats, the NTSB had issued strong warnings about the design of the vehicles and the danger posed to passengers by their overhead canopies.
Jim Pattison Jr., president of Ride the Ducks, told the media that the storm that moved through the area and led to the accident "came out of nowhere".
See also
- Ethan Allen boating accident, similar 2005 capsizing in upstate New York
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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