8A | FROM PAGE ONE THE JOPLIN GLOBE | TUESDAY, JULY 24, 2018

FUTURE
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emergency. The U.S. Coast
Guard did not implement
the NTSB’s recommen-
dations, leaving business
operators to decide for
themselves whether to heed
the advice.
Based on an amphibious
vehicle that was used to
transport ammunition and
other military supplies in
World War II, duck boats
morphed into popular tour-
ist attractions across the
country because of their
ability to travel on land or
in the water. Even when
they were designed for
military purposes, safety
was a secondary consider-
ation, said Lane Roberts,
who was formerly the Jop-
lin police chief and director
of the state Department of
Public Safety, which over-
sees the highway and water
patrols.
“The original model they
worked from was not de-
signed for safety to begin
with,” Roberts said. “There
was some criticism about
the design of the vehicle
and, as I said, it’s modeled
after a military vehicle
whose first design was one
of utility, not safety.”
Roberts is also a candi-
date for the Missouri House
of Representatives and said
he believes legislation to
address the boats may be
necessary.
U.S. Rep. Billy Long,
whose 7th District includes
the Branson area where the
accident happened, said he
talked to someone who has
worked with duck boats for
more than a decade after
the accident.
“He said they really are
a problem,” Long said. “He
said they’re very, very
dangerous … even if you
have life preservers on, that
they’re very hard to get out
of because of the plexiglass
enclosure. So this is some-
thing that needs to be inves-
tigated thoroughly. These
were World War II vehicles
that were designed to carry
cargo; they were not de-
signed to carry people.”
Long stopped short of
saying the vehicles should
be banned, saying the NTSB
investigation will deter-
mine whether continuing
duck boat operations is ap-
propriate.
“I think it’s time to fig-
ure out whether they need
to stay a part of tourism
around the United States,”
he said.
State Rep. Bill White, of
Joplin, said the uniqueness
of the vehicles means they
could be under the regula-
tory jurisdiction of multiple
agencies. If the state has
authority over their op-
eration, he said, he would
recommend legislative
hearings to gather input
from experts.
“You’d have people come
in and testify,” he said.
“You’d get the NTSB or the
Coast Guard or the vendors
that have some expertise
that would testify. Should
you have to wear life jackets
on the Branson Belle? Where
do you differentiate what
level of risk is appropriate
or not, and that’s why we’d
have hearings to find out.”
White said public safety is
and would be paramount in
any legislative or regulato-
ry change or recommenda-
tion on duck boats.
“I’ve ridden the ducks one
time in probably the last 20
years and, you know, I guess
I was a little uncomfort-
able,” he said. “Just being
in there with the enclosure.
I believe the one we were in
had roll-up sides, so it wasn’t
solid. Not being the best of
swimmers in the world, I
guess I was a little uncom-
fortable, you could say.”
Both of Missouri’s U.S.
senators issued statements
after the tragedy. Sen. Roy
Blunt said the incident
“never should have hap-
pened.” Sen. Claire Mc-
Caskill has said she will ex-
amine possible legislative
solutions and likely will
start with the 1999 NTSB
recommendations.
“I am closely monitoring
the investigation to deter-
mine how the Coast Guard
and the operator responded
to previous NTSB recom-
mendations,” Blunt’s state-
ment said. “Based on the
findings of the investigation
and any new recommen-
dations, I stand ready to
pursue whatever action is
necessary to keep this from
happening again.”
“It’s encouraging to see
the professionalism and co-
operation between state and
local officials and the two
federal agencies investigat-
ing this tragedy,” McCaskill
said in her release. “I’m
grateful to (Branson) May-
or (Karen) Best, the Red
Cross, and the brave men
and women” of Missouri’s
highway and water patrols
— particularly the divers
who had the worst job of
all (Thursday).”

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area said he issued a written
report in August 2017 to the
Branson duck boat operator,
Ripley Entertainment, after
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operation in Branson, it was

required to undergo annual
inspections. The most recent
was in February.
But Sadowicz said the
Coast Guard’s “certificate of
inspection” placed limits on
when the boats can enter the
water based on wind speed
and “sea state,” which refers
to the height of waves.
Sadowicz did not have in-
formation on Stretch Duck
07’s limits but said they will
be a focal point of the inves-
tigation.
Some witnesses have said
the lake was calm and the
storm came up suddenly
Thursday evening. Sado-
wicz said investigators want
to find out if operators were
adequately monitoring the
weather and should have
reasonably known a storm
was approaching.
Turbulent weather has
caused trouble for duck
boats before.
Coast Guard records show
that a similar duck boat in
Philadelphia took on a 3- or
4-foot wave on Oct. 3, 2015, as
it carried 12 passengers on a
tour of the Delaware River.
Water got into the engine
compartment, causing the
engine to stall and setting
the vessel adrift.
The boat was safely towed
Crews on Monday raise the duck boat that sank last
week in a lake near Branson.
to shore. The cause of the
failure was determined to
be “the rapidly worsening
river conditions.” But the
Coast Guard also cited a
“failure to anticipate the
change in the weather con-
ditions.”
“The change of the tide
from slack to flood and the
strong northerly winds
caused the waves to quickly
build and exceeded the re-
striction on the vessel’s COI
(certificate of inspection),”
the Coast Guard report stat-
ed.
Duck boats were designed
for military use in World
War II. The Missouri boat
that sank was built in 1944.
Stretch Duck 07 had a few
apparently minor problems
in recent years.
In 2011, the vessel “lost
steering while underway
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on Table Rock Lake” with
30 passengers on board. The
driver was able to make it
back to shore, according to
Coast Guard records.
On June 6, 2015, water got
into the engine compart-
ment as the boat entered the
lake from land, a process
known as “splash down.”
A January 2016 inspec-
tion found inoperable heat
detectors, which were later
fixed.
The Coast Guard prohibit-
ed the vessel from operating
from January 2015 to April
2015, but the report does not
state a reason other than
“hazardous/unsafe condi-
tion.” Another report from
February 2015 cited leakage
in a wheel well caused by
sealant failure.
The owner of an inspec-
tion service in the St. Louis
inspecting two dozen boats.
In the report, Steve Paul of
Test Drive Technologies
explained that the vessels’
engines — and pumps that
remove water from their
hulls — might fail in inclem-
ent weather.
On Saturday, former
NTSB chairman James
Hall said the design of duck
boats makes them prone
to the type of accident that
occurred in Missouri, partic-
ularly when weather turns
bad. He said they should be
banned.
At a news conference
Monday in Branson, Coast
Guard Capt. Scott Stoermer
said the investigation will
also look into whether the
boat captain followed com-
pany guidelines regarding
use of life jackets.
Missouri law requires
boat passengers ages 7 and
younger to wear life jackets,
but commercial vessels like
the duck boats are exempt.
The law requires enough life
jackets for passengers and
crew, and jackets that fit all
of the children. Whether to
advise passengers to use life
jackets is an “operation de-
cision” made by the captain,
Stoermer said.
Several survivors made it
to safety by climbing aboard
another sightseeing boat
that was nearby.
to pay for funeral,
medical expenses
BY JORDAN LARIMORE tragic accident.”
A total of 31 people were
jlarimore@joplinglobe.com
aboard the duck boat on
The company whose Thursday when heavy
amphibious duck boat winds and high waves
sank on Table Rock Lake caused the vehicle to
last week, killing 17 peo- swamp and eventually
ple, is offering to pay for sink. Seventeen peo-
funeral and medical ex- ple, including nine of
penses for the victims of an 11-member Indiana
the deadly voyage. family, were killed in
Ride the Ducks Branson the accident, and several
posted on its Facebook more were hospital-
page Monday morning, ized. Cox Health, which
just before the U.S. Coast operates a hospital in
Guard began efforts to Branson, tweeted Sunday
retrieve the boat, that it night that all of the survi-
continues “to focus our vors that had been treated
efforts on the families.” there had been released.
“We are offering to pay Ride the Ducks said in
for all related medical its post that it is “fully
bills and funeral expenses, cooperating with the
return all personal items National Transportation
from the rescue scene and Safety Board, the high-
assist with any related way patrol and all federal
travel or accommodations and state authorities
that will help the families involved in the investiga-
in their time of need,” the tion,” specifying that it
message said. “An event will not comment on the
like this deeply touches matter because of those
everyone, and we are also investigations. The busi-
providing grief counsel- ness expressed continued
ing to our employees who sadness over the incident
have been affected by this in its post.