NTSB -- EXCESSIVE SPEED AND INEFFECTIVE OVERSIGHT LED TO FATAL BOATING COLLISION IN SAN DIEGO BAY

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NTSB PRESS RELEASE

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National Transportation Safety Board

Washington, DC 20594

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 12, 2011

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EXCESSIVE SPEED AND INEFFECTIVE OVERSIGHT LED TO FATAL

BOATING COLLISION IN SAN DIEGO BAY

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WASHINGTON - The National Transportation Safety Board today

determined that the probable cause of a 2009 collision in

San Diego Bay between a United States Coast Guard patrol

boat and a recreational motorboat was due to the excessive

speed of the Coast Guard boat in nighttime conditions in an

area of high vessel density, and the Coast Guard's

ineffective oversight of its small boat operations

nationally and at Coast Guard Station San Diego.

On December 20, 2009, at about 5:44 p.m. PST in San Diego

Harbor, a 33-foot-long Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement

(SPC-LE) Coast Guard vessel with five crewmembers aboard

collided with a 24-foot-long Sea Ray recreational boat

carrying 13 people. The collision occurred during an annual

holiday boating event, the Parade of Lights. The Coast Guard

boat, which was responding to a reported grounding

(considered a non-emergency), struck the Sea Ray from

behind. As a result, an 8-year-old boy was killed and four

other people were seriously injured. None of the crewmembers

in the Coast Guard boat were injured.

The Coast Guard boat, when it struck the Sea Ray, was being

operated at planing speed, which was at least 19 knots and

possibly as high as 42 knots.

"The Coast Guard is an organization that traditionally fills

the role of rescuer," said NTSB Chairman Deborah A.P.

Hersman. "It is especially sad that a family night of

celebration in the Bay ended in tragedy because of a

coxswain's poor judgment and the Coast Guard's ineffective

oversight of vessel operations."

Visual conditions in San Diego Bay are particularly

challenging at night when it becomes more difficult to

distinguish small individual boat navigation lights from

other lights in the area. However, the investigation showed

that at least one crewmember saw the Sea Ray as they

approached it from behind. Three of the five crewmembers on

the Coast Guard boat, including the operator, refused to be

interviewed by NTSB investigators.

Also causal to the accident was the Coast Guard's lack of

oversight of its small boat vessel operations. Coast Guard

Station San Diego lacked an effective oversight system to

monitor the operation of their vessels while on patrol. The

presence of such a system could have prevented the accident.

In addition, the Station's officer of the day, who was on

the Coast Guard boat at the time of the accident, did not

advise the coxswain to slow down.

The NTSB recommended that the Coast Guard increase vigilance

in checking the speed of their boats, establish policies

that prohibit excessive speed, and develop a monitoring

system to detect deviations from standard operating guidance

and procedures. It also recommended that the Coast Guard

implement procedures to ensure that crewmembers can

compensate for obstructions potentially affecting forward

visibility on their SPC-LE vessels.

A synopsis of the NTSB report, including the probable cause,

conclusions, and safety recommendations is available at

http://go.usa.gov/ZJk.

The NTSB's full report will be available on the website in

several weeks.

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NTSB Media Contact: Peter Knudson

(202) 314-6100

peter.knudson@xxxxxxxx

twitter.com/ntsb

youtube.com/ntsbgov

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