SEATTLE - The National Transportation Safety Board says a duck boat involved in a fatal Seattle crash didn't have an axle repair that was recommended for the amphibious vehicle in 2013.
NTSB member Earl Weener said Sunday that investigators only recently learned that Ride the Ducks International issued a warning in 2013 about potential axle failure and recommended a specific repair. Weener said the boat involved in Seattle crash didn't have the fix.
He said it's unclear if the company that owns the vehicle -- Ride the Ducks of Seattle -- was aware of the warning.
"We're going to be following that up as we continue to gather facts back in Washington D.C. as well," he said.
Ride the Ducks International refurbished the duck boat in 2005. In a statement released Monday, Ride the Ducks International said it had no reason to believe Seattle had not complied with the service bulletin issued in 2013.
Late Sunday night, the owner of Ride the Ducks of Seattle held a news conference, during which he said he is aware of the NTSB revelation about the recommended axle repair that was never done.
"We are working to understand exactly what happened and we have completely opened our operations to the NTSB investigators," said Ride the Ducks owner Brian Tracey.
Tracey did not say whether his company was aware of the 2013 recommendation from Ride the Ducks International. He did not accept questions from reporters and instead read from a prepared statement.
The crash last week between the amphibious vehicle and a charter bus left four international college students dead at the scene. A fifth student died Sunday.
"We just learned and are devastated to learn the accident has taken the life of a fifth person," said Tracey. "I want to express my deepest and most heartfelt condolences to the families of the five people who have lost their lives and all of the people affected by this terrible tragedy."
Investigator said Saturday that the left front axle of the duck boat was sheared off, but they hadn't determined if that damage happened before the collision or during it.
On Sunday, the Gov. Jay Inslee's Office informed Seattle Mayor Ed Murray's Office that the Utilities and Transportation Commission will order inspections and reviews of all "Ride the Ducks of Seattle" vehicles and driver records. The UTC will seek to suspend the operations of the fleet until the inspections are complete.
Statement from Murray:
"Safety must be our paramount goal. Last week's tragedy demands that all precautions and safety measures be taken before the Ducks resume operations. Because of the fleet's advanced age, extensive use and unique design, requiring additional scrutiny to ensure they are safe is absolutely critical. I am pleased by the UTC's intention to conduct thorough inspections and reviews of the entire fleet to determine if they are safe and pose no public safety risk to the public should they resume operations. Over the last few days, I have expressed, and the Governor shares, my concerns about the public safety risk these vehicles pose. A review by the UTC is the prudent thing to do in the interest of protecting the public."
Statement from Inslee:
"The UTC committed today to inspecting each of these vehicles and reviewing each driver's record. The UTC will meet Monday to address its authority to suspend company operations pending completion of those inspections and review. I believe that until we can be assured that each of these vehicles and drivers have been inspected they should not be back on Seattle streets. The city, the state and the federal government need to work together closely as multiple investigations move forward."
Tracey said he fully supports the recommendation to continue the suspension of all operations.
We will not return any of the fleet to service until we can demonstrate that our fleet is well maintained, roadworthy, and safe through an independent inspection of every duck vehicle that we operate," he said.
