2009 San Diego Coast Guard / Sea Ray collision
 

Just received this NTSB press release, looks like they followed through and put blame on the Coast Guard.

************************************************** **********
NTSB PRESS RELEASE
************************************************** **********

National Transportation Safety Board
Washington, DC 20594

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 12, 2011

************************************************** **********

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

************************************************** **********

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.

Wow. Sad that an 8 year old died.

I will say though that 13 people on a 24 foot Sea Ray seems a bit much, but either way wasn't their fault.

That is a lot of people for a boat that size, if I remember rightly there were a lot of kids on the boat.

The CG is renowned for hauling ass around the bay, I had forgotten about this whole event. I hope some preventative measures are set in place to help keep this from happening again.

This is tragic,however...San Diego is a training base as I see it. I commercial fished so cal for 20 years. I avoided SD because of the overzealous recruits instructed by a captain on the cutter. They were clearly trying to impress the guy on the other side of the mike whenever I was boarded. These commanders and captains are trying to throw these kids on the boat under the bus to save there own skin! I posted on a SD news website the same opinion after the accident and got trashed. Its in my opinion the fault of the over amped training these kids get when they sign up. It was a grounding in the mud! really for all that! Whopp Whoop sirens, big show and haul ass through a crowd. Who's trying to impress who???

I remember seeing a post like that. I couldn't agree more, its a damn shame.

No interview? Huh? How about a court martial if ya don't. :(

I see the Coast Guard as a bunch of KIDS thumping there chest trying to be billy bad azz, I have ZERO respect for them or their folleys, no better than sheriffs patrol. Around here they like to sit in front of Hooters and board every vessel leaving in the hope of getting a dui arrest. I WAS in the REAL military six years and it pizzes me of every time I have ever had contact with them, Smitty

I see the Coast Guard as a bunch of KIDS thumping there chest trying to be billy bad azz, I have ZERO respect for them or their folleys, no better than sheriffs patrol. Around here they like to sit in front of Hooters and board every vessel leaving in the hope of getting a dui arrest. I WAS in the REAL military six years and it pizzes me of every time I have ever had contact with them, Smitty

Absolutely!

I don't buy into the "challenging visual conditions because of lights around the bay." That Coast Guard boat had radar and someone should be looking at it all the time.

Two points: 1) regs require a bow lookout and if the vessel is so equipped a radar watch. Obviously this was not compliled with. Furthermore they operated beyond thier sight distance at an improper speed.
2) SoCal may be different, but on the Maine Coast the CG has the reputation that they will go out in anything to assist you. That means alot. I have been boarded once on 25 years while operating a Donzi and my current Topgun. They were polite and professional. Nuff said!

radar should have had too much clutter from viewing boats and participating boats, then the background lights more than likely obstructed the view. the NTSB crew has been to several coast guard incidents and have jumped very quickly to make statements, when you compare to other investigations, they suppress release and make very little statements. i have wondered why this is so. it is a shame that someone died, but the vessel was not showing lights and operator was not watching. most people that dislike the coast guard have been boarded or just see boats running fast, they make snap judgement that they are out horseplaying, tieir out there doing the job required. everything is always better sitting in the armchair, after the weather has calmed. those can not imagine the cluster it is during the storm. i had to go out, but did not have to come back, but i did!