FILE – In this July 23, 2018, file photo, a duck boat that sank in Table Rock Lake in Branson, Mo., is raised after it went down the evening of July 19 after a thunderstorm generated near-hurricane strength winds. (Nathan Papes/The Springfield News-Leader via AP, File)
LIBERTY, Mo. (AP) — National federal safety regulators say actions by the owners of a tourist boat that sank in Missouri in 2018 and the U.S. Coast Guard contributed to the tragedy that killed 17 people.
The National Transportation Safety Board said Tuesday if the Coast Guard had followed recommendations for fixing small passenger boats that it has pushed for 18 years, the duck boat likely would not have sunk.
The Coast Guard said last week it will recommend that canopies and side curtains be removed from amphibious tour vehicles known as stretch duck boats like the one that sank at Table Rock Lake.
