DRJS-11. Courtesy of Dart River Jet Safaris Limited .
Jet boat, DRJS-11 grounding and subsequent rollover Dart River, near Glenorchy, 20 February 2009
Status
Closed
Occurrence Date
Report Publication Date
Jurisdiction
NZ
Legacy Inquiry Number
09-203
Momentary driver distraction led to a tourist jet boat striking and overturning on a midstream gravel bank in the Dart River, near Glenorchy, at about 1545 on 20 February 2009. The driver and 3 of the 18 passengers suffered injuries, while the boat received minor damage to its hull and moderate damage to its canopy.
The jet boat was on the plane down-river towards Lake Wakatipu when the experienced driver pointed out a flock of geese taking flight to passengers. The driver then realised the boat was heading too close to a gravel bank, but his attempted course correction came too late to avoid the grounding, which he tried to manage with adjustments to helm and throttle. However, the boat rolled slowly onto its port side and slid along the bank on its side for a short time before coming to rest on its canopy.
The occupants escaped by kicking out windows as directed by the driver, with most exiting onto the bank. Two passengers exited into the river, where one became soaked in petrol running out of a tank vent. The post accident handling of the situation by the driver and company was well coordinated.
Safety issues identified in the investigation included: the potential difficulty of removing the canopy in a deep-water situation or if the boat were inverted; the passengers’ inability to hear the entire pre-trip safety brief; the poorly marked emergency exit windows; and the fuel vent’s design, allowing fuel to leak out from the upturned boat and above the exit windows.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has made recommendations to the Director of Maritime New Zealand: to encourage proper recognition of driver distraction in jet boat operations; regarding the marking of emergency exits from enclosed boats; and regarding the design and placement of fuel vents.
(Note: this executive summary condenses content to highlight key points to readers and does so in simpler English and with less technical precision than the remainder of the report to ensure its accessibility to a non-expert reader. Expert readers should refer to and rely on the body of the full report.)
The jet boat was on the plane down-river towards Lake Wakatipu when the experienced driver pointed out a flock of geese taking flight to passengers. The driver then realised the boat was heading too close to a gravel bank, but his attempted course correction came too late to avoid the grounding, which he tried to manage with adjustments to helm and throttle. However, the boat rolled slowly onto its port side and slid along the bank on its side for a short time before coming to rest on its canopy.
The occupants escaped by kicking out windows as directed by the driver, with most exiting onto the bank. Two passengers exited into the river, where one became soaked in petrol running out of a tank vent. The post accident handling of the situation by the driver and company was well coordinated.
Safety issues identified in the investigation included: the potential difficulty of removing the canopy in a deep-water situation or if the boat were inverted; the passengers’ inability to hear the entire pre-trip safety brief; the poorly marked emergency exit windows; and the fuel vent’s design, allowing fuel to leak out from the upturned boat and above the exit windows.
The Transport Accident Investigation Commission has made recommendations to the Director of Maritime New Zealand: to encourage proper recognition of driver distraction in jet boat operations; regarding the marking of emergency exits from enclosed boats; and regarding the design and placement of fuel vents.
(Note: this executive summary condenses content to highlight key points to readers and does so in simpler English and with less technical precision than the remainder of the report to ensure its accessibility to a non-expert reader. Expert readers should refer to and rely on the body of the full report.)
Location
Dart River, Queenstown (-44.747678,168.330524) [may be approximate]