NTSB: Duck boat in fatal crash didn't have recommended fix

SEATTLE -- A Seattle duck boat that swerved wildly into an oncoming charter bus last week, killing four people and injuring dozens, did not have an axle repair recommended for at least some of the amphibious vehicles in 2013, the National Transportation Safety Board said Sunday.

Ride the Ducks International, which refurbished the boat in 2005, issued a warning to its customers two years ago about potential axle failure and recommended a specific repair or increased monitoring, said NTSB member Earl Weener.

"This particular duck had not had the fix," he told a news conference.

Witnesses described seeing the duck boat's left front tire lock up before it veered into the bus, and federal investigators announced Saturday they found the duck boat's left front axle sheared off -- though they said it wasn't clear whether the axle had broken before or after the collision.

Ride the Ducks International informed investigators late Saturday it had issued the warning, he said. It's unclear whether the company that owns the vehicle -- Ride the Ducks of Seattle -- was aware of the warning, Weener said.

"We're going to be following that," he said.

A representative of the Seattle duck tour company said he did not have any comment on the NTSB's account.

The crash Thursday left four international college students dead. They were among about 45 students and staff from North Seattle College who were on the bus on the Aurora Bridge when the tourist-carrying duck boat swerved into it.

More than 50 people were taken to hospitals. At least 16 people remained at Seattle hospitals Sunday, with five in intensive care and one in critical condition.

The amphibious vehicle tours are offered around the world, including in Philadelphia; Austin, Texas; Miami; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and London. They feature former military landing craft repurposed as tour vehicles.

The vehicle involved in the Seattle crash was an Army surplus craft built in 1945. It was refurbished with a General Motors engine and chassis in 2005, Weener said.

The NTSB had few details Sunday about the warning Ride the Ducks International issued. It wasn't clear what prompted the warning or how the potential failure was discovered, or whether it applied to all duck boats or only those the company had refurbished, he said. It wasn't clear how many of the 100 duck boats in service nationally may have had the repair, he said.

The warning included specific instructions for inspecting the area where the shaft could fail, as well as instructions for the repair, which involved welding collars around the axle shaft, Weener said.

Results of the federal probe are not expected for a year, he said. Investigators have interviewed 11 surviving passengers, including eight who were on the duck, as well as first responders. They expect to interview the drivers of the charter bus and the duck this week.

Weener described Ride the Ducks of Seattle as cooperative, and said the company had turned over training records and maintenance documents for the duck.

It's the first time the NTSB has looked into a land crash of the amphibious vehicles, which critics say are too dangerous for city streets. The federal agency has scrutinized duck tour vehicles several times when they've been in accidents on water.