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Hundreds of community members gathered for a vigil in Branson, Missouri, for the benefit of 17 people, including 9 from the same family, who died suddenly during capsizing a duck.
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A man looks at a duck resting in the parking lot of Ride the Ducks in Branson, Missouri (Photo: Charlie Riedel, AP)
A private security inspector says that he warned the canoe company of Branson, Missouri, about a year ago, that a design flaw in some gas supplies Vehicle exhaust could cause them to sink into the restless water
. many people have pointed out the potential dangers posed by ducks in their dual role of bus and boat. Seventeen people died on Thursday when one of the boats sank in a storm with 5-foot waves on Table Rock Lake in Branson
"If you look at this video, this water is definitely buried in this exhaust without a doubt," Paul said of the disaster.
Paul said that he inspected dozens of vehicles for Ripley Entertainment in August 2017 and cautioned against the design flaw. He said the boats had also been modified from their original design to allow them to carry more passengers. Paul said that the design flaw would have allowed water to flow into the exhaust pipe, then into the engine, stopping and stopping the pumps that are emptying the water.
The US Coast Guard said the boat sank 1944 and passed an inspection in February, reported the Kansas City Star. The company that operates the Branson ducks has ended its service.
Divers recovered a wrecked duck video recorder that could provide clues to the disaster. The recorder will be analyzed in a laboratory of the National Transportation Safety Board in Washington, DC, but it is still unclear whether the recorder was operating at the time of the fatal capsize or if any of its data may be recovered.
Keith Holloway, a spokesman for the NTSB said that it was not clear either whether the video recording device of Branson's duck had audio capabilities. The aircraft was retrieved by divers, a team of which had searched a creek on Table Rock Lake to locate the boat and the body of the deceased.
To learn more: Sunken Branson Duck had a video recorder. The officials have it, but I do not know if it works
The investigators also interviewed some of the survivors, said Holloway, as well as people on another duck who was on the lake at the same time time but managed to avoid and crash.
For nearly 20 years, federal authorities have warned tourists against the dangers of amphibious excursion boats, whose safety rules are uneven and sometimes contradictory. Operators have lengthened some of the boats with their original designs and sometimes added awnings and "walls" of clear vinyl, allowing them to operate in bad weather.
To learn more: Would life jackets have further aggravated the deadly crash of Branson's duck?
The video of a duck witness just before he capsized suggests that his soft plastic windows could have been closed and could have trapped passengers as the hybrid boat fell. It does not show the passengers who jump clear.
"The biggest problem with a duck when it sinks is this canopy," said Paul at the AP. "This canopy becomes what I'll call a people seeker, and people can not get out of under this canopy."
Ripley Entertainment, the company operating duck boats at Branson, did not not responding to messages asking USA TODAY Network
Spokesperson Suzanne Smagala noted that Thursday's accident was the only one in more than 40 years of operation.
The website of the cannibal company now carries a declaration of sadness with the image of a black ribbon. "The safety of our guests and our employees is our number one priority. Ride the Ducks will be closed for business while we support the investigation, and to give time to cry for families and the community. your support, and we ask that your thoughts and prayers be with the families during this time. "
Because the boats travel on land and in the water, they are regulated by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Coast Guard.The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates the Branson accident , has complained in the past of a lack of surveillance and sometimes conflicting regulations on vehicles. [19659099] To learn more: Federal officials warned of the dangers of boats duck for two decades
A problem with boats is their canopy The Coast Guard needs lifejackets on board ships, but it leaves it to the captain to tell passengers when to wear jackets in The NTSB has recommended that passengers not wear lifejackets on boats with awnings because when vehicles are flowing, lifejackets may float passengers in the sail, thus avoiding a leak.
The NTSB, which makes non-binding safety recommendations, recommended the removal of awnings from vehicles to reduce the risk of drowning.
The agency also recommended that the highway administration regulate vehicles for road vehicles traveling with requirements for passenger seatbelts, while saying that passengers should not wear their belts safety when the vehicle is in the water.
Several agencies are now investigating the Branson canoe disaster. [19659070] : Before the accident in Branson, Missouri, ducks had fatal accidents
Ducks were involved in a series of fatal incidents for civilian use as passenger vehicles:
• 13 people Miss Majestic, operated by Land and Lakes Tours, sank May 1, 1999 on Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs, Arkansas. The rubber boot that served as a watertight barrier sank in 7 minutes in the water. 60 feet deep, the NTSB found. Seven passengers and the operator survived
• Four people drowned when the Lady Duck sank on June 23, 2002 in Canada in the Ottawa River in Gatineau, Quebec. The vehicle was not waterproof and sank in water about 25 feet deep near the Hull Marina, according to the Transportation Safety Board of Canada. Six passengers, driver and tour guide escaped
• Two people died and 26 were injured when a vehicle from the Ride the Ducks of Philadelphia tour sank on July 7, 2010 in the Delaware River at Philadelphia. The vehicle sank in the water 55 deep after hitting a 250-foot mud barge called The Resource towed by a 79-foot tugboat called Caribbean Sea, according to the NTSB. The accident was caused by the fact that the tugboat failed to properly monitor his cell phone and his laptop, according to the NTSB. But the board also found that the captain of the canoe contributed to the accident by not taking the measures that were imposed while he was anchored in an active navigation channel.
• Five passengers died and 71 others were injured on September 24, 2015 with a Duck 6 amphibious vehicle collision on the Aurora Bridge in Seattle. One of the Duck 6's axles failed and resulted in a loss of steering and braking, the NTSB found. The Ride Ducks International has modified its axle housings, undercarriage and other equipment, but it has not been registered as a vehicle manufacturer, the board found.
• A woman on a scooter was killed and a passenger injured on April 30, 2016 collision with the amphibious vehicle Penelope Pru operated by Boston Duck Tours. The amphibious vehicle caught up with the scooter both accelerated from a stoplight, the NTSB found.
Contributor: Will Schmitt, USA TODAY Network
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