The crash last week between the duck boat and a charter bus left five global college students dead.
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Two years ago, all duck boats were encouraged to fix their axles by Rides the Ducks global. And Weener said investigators would determine what the drivers of the duck boat and the charter bus were doing for the three days before the crash.
In a statement Sunday night, Ride The Ducks of Seattle owner Brian Tracey didn’t say whether the company knew of the warning. The Associated Press reported that dozens of people were also sent to area hospitals after the collision, which one witness said occurred after the “duck boat” tour vehicle swerved into the oncoming tour bus.
Maxwell said when Duck No. 6 was last examined in 2003, UTC inspectors found no safety violations.
30-year-old Katie Moody and her father, 57-year-old Greg Moody were sitting in the second row of the duck boat behind the driver.
Keith Holloway, an NTSB spokesman, said the agency does not have national statistics for accidents involving duck boats. “Because of the fleet’s advanced age, extensive use and unique design, requiring additional scrutiny to ensure they are safe is absolutely critical”, said Mayor Murray.
A fifth person died on Sunday from injuries sustained in a collision Thursday between a bus and a Seattle duck boat on Aurora Bridge. Thirteen people are still recovering at Harborview Medical Center Sunday, with four in intensive care listed in serious condition.
Earl Weener of the NTSB revealed at a news conference on Sunday the Seattle duck was refurbished in 2005, and in 2013, Ride the Ducks global recommended repairs citing potential axle failure.
The NTSB hadn’t determined what caused the axle failure, or whether it contributed to the crash.
“At North Seattle College, there are still wounds in our hearts and it’s going to take a while for our students as staff here to get through that”, he said.
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The AP noted that these vehicles are used for tours all over the world, in such cities as Philadelphia; Austin, Texas; Miami; Fort Lauderdale, Fla. and London. The vehicle involved in the Seattle crash was an Army surplus craft built in 1945.
