"Takuro Spirit" (takurospirit)
07/27/2018 at 17:02 • Filed to: branson, duck tour, duck boat, dukw
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"Takuro Spirit" (takurospirit)
07/27/2018 at 17:02 • Filed to: branson, duck tour, duck boat, dukw | 1
| 10 |
Recording media including an SD card and a removable hard drive from the vehicle’s digital video recorder camera system were recovered by divers before the duck boat was salvaged.
· The audio quality varies widely throughout the recording, affecting the intelligibility of what is spoken.
· About 18:27:08. The captain and driver boarded the previously empty vehicle. The driver sat in the driver’s seat and the captain sat in the side-facing seat to the right of the driver. (The captain operates the duck on water and the driver operates duck on the road.)
· About 18:28:00. The crew was told to take the water portion of the tour first, by an individual who briefly stepped onto the rear of the vehicle.
· About 18:29:13. As the passengers were loading, the captain made a verbal reference to looking at the weather radar prior to the trip.
· About 18:33:10. The driver stated a passenger count of 29 and shortly after, the vehicle departed the terminal facility. The captain narrated the tour while the vehicle was in motion.
· Starting about 18:50. In the vicinity of the boat ramp, the captain began a safety briefing regarding the water portion of the tour. The briefing included the location of emergency exits as well as the location of the life jackets. The captain then demonstrated the use of a life jacket and pointed out the location of the life rings. The captain moved into the driver’s seat and the driver moved into the seat directly behind.
· About 18:55:20. The captain announced to the passengers that they would be entering the water. The boat entered the water. The water appeared calm at this time.
· Between about 18:56:22 and 19:00:38. The captain allowed four different children to sit in the driver’s seat, while he observed and assisted.
· About 19:00:25. Whitecaps rapidly appeared on the water and winds increased.
· About 19:00:42. The captain returned to the driver’s seat. The driver lowered both the port and starboard clear plastic side curtains.
· About 19:01:01. The captain made a comment about the storm.
· About 19:03:15. The captain made a handheld radio call, the content of which is currently unintelligible.
· About 19:04:15. An electronic tone associated with the bilge alarm activated.
· About 19:05:21. The captain reached downward with his right hand and the bilge alarm ceases.
· About 19:05:40. The captain made a handheld radio call, the content of which is currently unintelligible.
· In the final minutes of the recording. Water occasionally splashes inside the vehicle’s passenger compartment. (The low frame rate and relatively low resolution make it very difficult to be more precise in the preliminary review.)
· About 19:07:26. An electronic tone associated with the bilge alarm activated.
· 19:08:27. The inward-facing recording ended, while the vehicle was still on the surface of the water.
https://www.ntsb.gov/news/press-releases/Pages/nr20180727.aspx
ttyymmnn
> Takuro Spirit
07/27/2018 at 17:15 |
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You’ve probably already seen the video taken from the shore as the duck begins to founder. IMO, closing those side flaps turned likely death into almost certain death. And why the life jackets did not get distributed is beyond me. Apparently, the captain said they didn’t need them. The company knew about the possibility of bad weather, and there had been a Severe Thunderstorm Watch all day in the area.
someassemblyrequired
> Takuro Spirit
07/27/2018 at 17:17 |
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Those things are deathtraps - they’re unwieldly on the road, those canopys trap people during capsize events and they are very vulnerable to seal failure around the driveshaft. I am a bit biased, but I worked with some of the CG folks who investigated the last time one of these capsized, and they shouldn’t be on the water.
Since there’s no political appetite for a ban, the Coast Guard
should require them to be open and people to wear survival gear (lifejackets and immersion suits) like they are going in the water. That would effectively ban them.
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Takuro Spirit
> ttyymmnn
07/27/2018 at 17:18 |
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I did. With the bow that far under water, that far from shore, there was NO REASON why lifejackets weren’t being distributed, and people starting to make thier way to the outside of the boat.
I’ve been on a sinking boat, its not fun. True, not every circumstance is the same, but I would have taken my chances with the vest and the water, rather than listen to the ‘captain’ and stay seated.
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Takuro Spirit
> someassemblyrequired
07/27/2018 at 17:21 |
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Regulations may change. All I know is the Wisconsin Dells Duck Tours. They’ve been operating for decades without incident.
Spaceball-Two
> Takuro Spirit
07/27/2018 at 17:41 |
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We had a pretty nasty accident here in Seattle with a duck on the road. Several killed and many injured. Studies have come out about how unsafe they are but the owner refit and put them back out there. The tourists love em.
I’ve told my wife in no uncertain terms are we ever riding one with the kids. Nope nope nope.
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Takuro Spirit
> Spaceball-Two
07/27/2018 at 17:44 |
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I remember seeing that. Lack of maintenance , wasn’t it? Here in WI at the Dells (knock on wood) there’s never been an issue in 40+ years.
I rode them as a kid, and recently rode them again WITH my kids. It was worth it to do it again one more time before they’re older, and I’ll probably go back with my grandkids for nostalgia’s sake.
Unless the start banning them because of all this...
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Spaceball-Two
> Takuro Spirit
07/27/2018 at 17:47 |
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Deferred maintenance on basically the whole fleet. Locals hate them because they’re loud and take up so much road space. Seattle traffic is already horrendous, we don’t need dilapidated rigs making it worse.
Jayvincent
> Takuro Spirit
07/27/2018 at 20:07 |
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thanks for the transcript, it’s a morbid curiosity, but maybe there’s a lesson to be learned in risk management for all of us.
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someassemblyrequired
> Takuro Spirit
07/27/2018 at 20:31 |
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That safety record is highly dependent on the operator - those guys run the unmodified ducks, and don’t have the turnover of some of the operators outside the Dells. But unfortunately it is a “bad apples ruin it for everyone” scenario. A lot of the operators are just plain unsafe - and I would not let anyone I care about get on a “Ride the Ducks” branded boat anywhere .
The Dells is a bit of a special case. I
suspect the Dells operators would be fine if they had to run open/wear lifejackets, since the water temps there in the summer are safe. In places like Seattle, water temps in the summer can be in the 50s - so going in -
even with a lifejacket -
can be sketchy.
Under_Score
> Takuro Spirit
07/27/2018 at 22:31 |
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A crappy photo of the SD card and no video? That’s the government!