2005 — Oct 2, Ethan Allen tour boat capsizes, Lake George, near Cramer Point, NY — 20

lornajarrettblanchard October 2, 2005

–21 Adirondack Almanack. “10 Deadliest Accidents in the Adirondack Mt. Region.” 8-29-2006.[1]

–21 Valley Independent, Monessen, PA. “Tour boat flips on Lake George, killing 21.” 10-3-2005.

–20 Daily Globe, Ironwood, MI. “Boat that capsized was one crew member short.” 10-4-2005, 1.

–20 Harkinson, Josh. “What Went Wrong: Lake George Disaster.” Popular Mechanics, 9-30-2009.

–20 NTSB. Capsizing of NY State-Certified Vessel Ethan Allen, Lake George, NY, Oct 2, 2005.

–20 News-Herald. “Lake George, NY.: Tour boat operator drowned in suicide.” 9-15-2009.

–20 Wikipedia. “Ethan Allen boating accident.” 1-21-2012 modification.

States of Residence of Tourist Fatalities

Michigan

– 19 News-Herald. “Lake George, NY.: Tour boat operator drowned in suicide.” 9-15-2009.

Ohio

— 1 News-Herald. “Lake George, NY.: Tour boat operator drowned in suicide.” 9-15-2009.

Narrative Information

Adirondack Almanack: “October 2, 2005 – Ethan Allen Sinking. Twenty-one people drown when the Lake George excursion boat Ethan Allen flips and sinks while turning against a wave.” (Adirondack Almanack. “10 Deadliest Accidents in the Adirondack Mt. Region.” 8-29-2006.)

NTSB: “Executive Summary.

“On the afternoon of October 2, 2005, the New York State-certificated public vessel Ethan Allen, with a New York State-licensed operator and 47 passengers on board, departed the marina at Lake George, New York, for a cruise of the lake. The vessel proceeded northbound along the western side of the lake at an estimated speed of 8 mph. As it neared Cramer Point, the operator began a turn to the right. At the same time, the Ethan Allen encountered a wave or waves generated by one or more vessels on its starboard side. Within a few seconds, the Ethan Allen rolled to port and overturned. It began to sink about 15 minutes later. Operators of recreational vessels nearby observed the accident, proceeded immediately to the site, and began rescuing survivors. Twenty passengers died, three received serious injuries, and six received minor injuries in the accident. The operator and 18 passengers survived without injury. The resulting damage to the vessel and its components was estimated at $21,000.

“The Safety Board’s investigation of this accident identified the following major safety issues:

Stability standards and procedures for passenger vessels;

New York State’s use of manufacturer’s capacity plates to determine public vessel passenger loading; and

Regulation of New York State’s public vessels.

“The National Transportation Safety Board determines that the probable cause of the capsizing of the Ethan Allen was the vessel’s insufficient stability to resist the combined forces of a passing wave or waves, a sharp turn, and the resulting involuntary shift of passengers to the port side of the vessel. The vessel’s stability was insufficient because it carried 48 persons where postaccident stability calculations demonstrated that it should have been permitted to carry only 14 persons. Contributing to the cause of the accident was the failure to reassess the vessel’s stability after it had been modified because there was no clear requirement to do so.

“As a result of this investigation, the Safety Board makes recommendations to the U.S. Coast Guard and to the State of New York.” (NTSB. Marine Accident Report. Capsizing of New York State-Certified Vessel Ethan Allen, Lake George, NY, Oct 2, 2005. Adopted July 25, 2006, p. vi.)

Wikipedia: “On February 5, 2007, a grand jury indicted Richard Paris, the boat’s captain, and Shoreline Cruises on misdemeanor charges of criminal negligence. Paris faced a maximum $250 fine and/or 15 days in jail if found guilty. The grand jury, which met for two months, also issued a report proposing new laws to prevent a repeat of the disaster. This was the third report about the capsizing. In March 2007, Paris pleaded guilty and received a fine of $250 and 200 hours of community service.”[2] (Wikipedia. “Ethan Allen boating accident.” 1-21-2012 modification.)

Newspaper Narratives

Oct 4: “Lake George, N.Y. (AP) – The owner of the boat that capsized on Lake George, killing 20 elderly tourists, could face a fine as low as $25 for failing to have enough crew members on board, police said today….

“The state late Monday suspended the operating certificates for all five tour boats run by Shoreline Cruises after the determination that one crew member was aboard, said Wendy Gibson, spokeswoman for the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Meyer said the fine for violating state navigation regulations is between $25 and $100….” (Daily Globe, Ironwood, MI. “Boat that capsized was ne crew member short.” 10-4-2005, 1.)

Sep 15, 2009: “A man with family ties to a 2005 boating accident in upstate New York that claimed the lives of 20 people on a fall tour — including three from Downriver — has drowned. Authorities report that the operator of the ill-fated tour boat drowned himself in the Adirondack lake that claimed the lives of 19 Michigan residents and one person from Ohio.

“The Associated Press reported that divers recovered the body of 44-year-old Matthew Quirk of Queensbury on Saturday from Lake George, 50 miles north of Albany. The death was ruled a suicide. Divers searched the lake Saturday after a boat owned by Shoreline Marina was found adrift. Quirk had taken the boat out himself….

“Fourteen senior citizens from the Trenton Travelers club were on a fall color tour of the region when the boat overturned on the narrow lake, killing 20 of its 47 elderly passengers….

“Quirk’s family owned the Ethan Allen, which was believed to have been rocked by a wake from a boat or multiple boats….The Quirk family’s company, Shoreline Cruises, recently settled lawsuits by family members of 17 victims for an undisclosed sum.

“In March 2007, Shoreline and boat Capt. Richard Paris each pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor charge, admitting there were not enough crewmembers aboard the Ethan Allen. State navigation law required at least two crewmembers, but Paris was alone. Paris and the company each were fined $250, and Paris agreed to serve more than 200 hours of community service instead of 15 days in jail.” (News-Herald, Southgate, MI. “Lake George, NY: Tour boat operator drowned in suicide.” 9-15-2009.)

Oct 3: “Lake George. N.Y. (AP)…a tour boat with many senior citizens aboard flipped over so quickly that no one could put on a life jacket. Twenty-one people were killed and dozens more injured…

“The sheriff said none of the passengers was able to put on a life jacket. Adult boat passengers are not required to wear life jackets in New York, but state law requires boats to carry at least one life jacket per person.

“The glass-enclosed boat was carrying a tour group from the Trenton, Mich., area, and was sailing just north of the village of Lake George, a popular tourist destination about 50 miles north of Albany in the Adirondack Mountains.

“With calm waters, clear skies and temperatures in the 70s, it seemed perfect boating weather and the lake bustled with activity. The lake is approximately 32 miles long and is nearly 3 miles wide….

“The Ethan Allen lay at the bottom of the Lake in 70 feet of water.” (Valley Independent, Monessen, PA. “Tour boat flips on Lake George, killing 21 and injuring dozens.” 10-3-2005, 5.)

Sources

Adirondack Almanack. “10 Deadliest Accidents in the Adirondack Mountain Region.” 8-29-2006. At: http://www.adirondackalmanack.com/2006/08/10-deadliest-accidents-in-adirondack.html

Daily Globe, Ironwood, MI. “Boat that capsized was one crew member short.” 10-4-2005, 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=84340592

Harkinson, Josh. “What Went Wrong: Lake George Disaster.” Popular Mechanics, 9-30-2009. Accessed 9-13-2015 at: http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a953/4199636/

National Transportation Safety Board. Marine Accident Report. Capsizing of New York State-Certified Vessel Ethan Allen, Lake George, New York, October 2, 2005 (NTSB/MAR-9603; PB2006-916403, Notation 7755B). Washington, DC: NTSB, adopted July 25, 2006. Accessed at: http://www.ntsb.gov/doclib/reports/2006/MAR0603.pdf

News-Herald, Southgate, MI. “Lake George, NY.: Tour boat operator drowned in suicide.” 9-15-2009. At: http://www.thenewsherald.com/articles/2009/09/15/news/doc4aafe3af36a23478673784.txt

Valley Independent, Monessen, PA. “Tour boat flips on Lake George, killing 21 and injuring dozens.” 10-3-2005, 5. http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=85412049

Wikipedia. “Ethan Allen boating accident.” 1-21-2012 modification. Accessed at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ethan_Allen_boating_accident

[1] Incorrect figure. Including for purpose of noting our awareness of reporting of twenty-one fatalities.

[2] Cites: News-Herald. “Lake George, NY.: Tour boat operator drowned in suicide.” 9-15-2009.