BRANSON, Mo. —
The NTSB announced findings on a deadly duck boat accident near Branson, finding fault with the Ride the Ducks company and the U.S. Coast Guard.
16 passengers and one crew member were killed when a duck boat full of passengers were caught in a storm in July 2018.
Video showed the boat being tossed about moments before capsizing.
The NTSB had already issued a report in 2019 calling for improved safety standards for duck boats.
In Tuesday’s meeting, the NTSB said it had made recommendations after a deadly Arkansas duck boat accident in 1999 but those recommendations were not sufficiently followed.
The U.S. Coast Guard said it will recommend that canopies and side curtains be removed from amphibious tour vehicles, as the NTSB had suggested years ago.
The NTSB also criticized the operators of Ride the Ducks for ordering the boats to go on the lake and not notifying the captain of severe weather. The NTSB report noted two other captains also brought duck boats onto the water.
When the city does open how will we use our free passes that were issued when we bought our season passes?