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CG Formally Charges Airboat Captain

rick

rick

Administrator
U.S. Coast Guard | PO Bobby Nash | January 24, 2007
PORT CANAVERAL, Fla. - The Coast Guard is formally charging an airboat captain today with negligence and is opening a formal hearing board to revoke or suspend his merchant mariner's license after the death of a seven-year-old passenger June 9, 2006.

Bruce Fryer, the operator of an airboat from Central Florida Airboat Tours, was illegally carrying seven tourists from Atlanta on his un-inspected vessel in Puzzle Lake, Fla., just east of Oviedo, Fla., when he attempted to cross a small portion of land and ejected a child and mother. The child later died of massive head injuries sustained from the accident.

The hearing process is a...

Full Story: http://www.military.com/features/0,15240,123333,00.html
 
To do tour charters a person MUST have a Captains license. Up to six persons is an OUPV, Operator of Uninspected Passenger Vessel, sometimes called a six-pack license. Over 6 passengers requires a Masters license and the vessel MUST be an INSPECTED and CERTIFIED vessel.

Bob
 
Thanks, Swamp. After I'd made that post I thought of that but decided that I'd leave it up for the discussion on it.

It sounds like Mr. Fryer is in deep do-do right now. We all know that this was just a man trying to do his job and the worst possible thing happened that day.
I'm certain that he and his family have been devastated by all of this. I wish him well.

olf
 
I’m so glad the Coast Guard is playing Monday morning quarterback after this terrible tragedy. I would like to know how carrying one more person than was allowed has any bearing on what happened that tragic day. Meanwhile I almost ran into an out of control jet skier last Sunday. After he came around a blind corner at about 30 miles an hour he showed me four fingers, which I learned means there are four more idiots behind him. This has happened to me before around Hatbill. As an airboat driver, I always take corners assuming someone may be coming the other way. Not jet skiers. If the Coast Guard really wanted to make our waters safe, they would mandate jet skiers display 12 foot flags. That way I could try to stay out of their way. I carry a tall flag on my kicker boat now so they won’t hit me.
 
billalvord, I've seen this same sort of 'enforcement' so often that it makes me sick.

Day in and day out enforcement is content to sit by the coffee pot and wait until it's time to go home. As long as nothing happens then their top managers are happy. Nobody's phones aren't ringing so life is good.

But let something hit the fan and then they have to find someone to pin it on ...... the culprit. That is going to always be the smallest fish in the food chain.

If the Coast Guard had really been interested in all of this someone from their agency could have checked in with this operation a couple of times a year to make the required inspection of their equipment, and briefly talked with the tour boat operators to make certain that they understood the regulations they were operating under.

As it stands Mr. Fryer is that littlest fish in this incident. He's not only going to have to suffer the trauma of what happened that day, but he will also be used to cover for the negligence of everyone above him.

olf
 
To become a USCG LIC Captain you have to pay for a course, go to school, take a test and do a Sh#T load of paper work. They just don't given them Lic away. A lic Capt is a true professional. They have high standards. Capt's are responsible for their decisions and actions. When something goes wrong and somebody dies, you are going to get looked over by a fine tooth comb. You just can not justify breaking the rules. Getting underway with a overloaded boat is not the right thing to do. If that was the case.

The USCG is a fine organization. They use to be part of the DOT, but now they are part of the DOD. I don't see them as the bad guys in this event. I hold them in high regard for the work that they do, the lives that they save.

This was a tragic event and one that might have been prevented if the Capt had followed the manning doctrine for his vessel. I just don't know. I feel very bad for all involved. The family that lost the child may be driving the direction that this mishap is going. Or the Lawyers!!!!!

A cracker driving a little old airboat is held to the same high standards as a Capt commanding a aircraft carrier. It's just part of the profession.

Operating a boat in Fl is risky. The average boater and Airboater do not understand the rules of the road or never heard of them. The way boater pass each other head on or in a crossing pattern just scares the poop out of me. Many Boaters operate there vessels to fast in restricted waters. Now add the jet skiers and things get mighty Hairy. AS the population increase in Fl and the waterways become more crowded more bad events are going to be more common. Just becareful.
 
Deepsea, I didn't mean to diminish in any way the responsibility vested in being a licensed boat captain.

All I'm saying is that here stands a condemned man who was handed a charter by an employer who should have also known better, and who should have seen to it that that vessel he was told to operate was currently seaworthy, and now he is the only man under fire.

I've been there. Take it or quit. The RR used to put me on trains that would in no way pass Federal regulations. They were built wrong, they wouldn't begin to pass a proper brake test, and I've even had 2000' of freight behind me that wasn't even on the consist. So should I refuse to go ? I've seen what happens to men who did.

The yardmaster would ask me if I was ready to depart, and all I could say was 'yes'. They all knew they were screwing me, but I had no options. Take it and do the best you can. Being a locomotive engineer is also Federally licensed and renewed annually, both by rule examination and a physical. How often do you have to renew a 6-pack ?

olf
 
Olf Art":1siju3ez said:
Day in and day out enforcement is content to sit by the coffee pot and wait until it's time to go home. As long as nothing happens then their top managers are happy. Nobody's phones aren't ringing so life is good.
Click to expand...

That sounds like a day in my office!!! :p

Adam
 
Unless you were there, or read all the testimony, viewed the photos, inspected the site, and researched the issues, no one knows what, if anything, the gent did wrong that actually could have caused the accident. But the lawyer bashing is ridiculous. If my child died while on a pleasure ride with supposedly zero risk, I would hope that someone would look into the accident, like a competent lawyer. Charles
 
when i was in the coast guard we never made a move or got involved in any incedent unless it came from higher up.and the orders to intervene were always discussed heavily before an o.k. was given.there was a death in this accident and probably was discussed untill someone finally said investigate it because they were tired of talking about it.we went on many missions that were futile because of time delays on the orders to proceed.i would not be suprised if some sort of federal legislation comes out of this now.but beeing it will come from the government it will be a broad sweeping ruling that can be interpreted to who ever pays the most.
 
Olf,
a six pack (OUPV) must be renewed every 5 years. Mine is good thru Feb. 2, 2011.
Once a person has a USCG license, he/she takes on tremendous responsibility, just like RR , Pilots,etc., the difference, I believe is the big boys (like the RR) are moving large commerce. When they get inspected it holds up lots of money, Us little guys,well it's just our income and possibly a FEW peoples lives. :roll:

Not knowing the exact and all details, I can only give my prayers not comments.

Bob
 
Being charged and being found guilty, culpable, or responsible are not the same thing. So far he has only been charged. This ONLY means they want to dig deeper and see if in fact there was a breach of the law. No matter how the press or even law enforcement spins it, that the fact of life. At this point in OUR country there is the presumption of innocence. Too many people on both sides of the bench too often forget this cardinal tenent of our society.

If the facts, as they are currently understood, indicate there may be a reason to suspect a violation then he may be charged, this in no way implies or indicates any guilt whatsoever ! It further is no indication of any penalty to be paid in the event guilt is established in a court of law or maritime hearing.

I don't want to get on a rant about how the press misreports nealy every legal action taken by law enforcement or how even LEOs themselves mis-state their actions even among themselves. Our system in this country does NOT work the way it is described in normal conversation amongst LEOs or other civillian citizens.

Scotty
 
OA, I read you loud and clear. Being a USN diver and a LIc Capt I know the rule and have to make the call. There have been meany time when I had to make a call that was not inline with the written rules. It called sticking your A$$ out . We all do it.

I have never blamed anyone or said someone was guitly. The facts have been recorded. I cerainly am not passinf judgement on anyone. Sometimes things just don't come across as I intended. DSD
 
Just a little sidenote on the "jet-skiers":
NY has made it manditory that a boater saftey course be completed before anyone may legally ride a PWC.
FWIW: I used to teach the Personal watercraft and powerboat saftey course on Ft. Drum and all the certification I needed was completion of a USCG Boater Saftey Course. It was informative, comprehensive, and required study, but it was no where near as tough as the 100ton licenses.
Becasue all too few people really know the "rules" it should be manditory that all boaters fulfill some sort of training course. It would also be permissable for experienced & knowledgeable boaters to challenge the test. This might leave some of us stuck in a sinking canoe with one paddle.
Does the Florida Marine Patrol still exsist? Last I knew they primarly worked the inland waterways and did boat inspections.
 
NO SIR !THEY ARE ALL FWC NOW OR FLORIDA WILD LIFE COMMISSION ! THEY COMBINED ALL THE OF GAME WARDENS ,MARINE PATROL ! WILDLIFE OFFICERS ARE ALL ONE ! NOW FWC !
 
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