MAIB report on horror accident in BVIs and death of five-year-old girl

The UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) has released its report on the investigation of the loss of control of the powerboat Awesome near Little Thatch Island, British Virgin Islands, on 2 October 2022, resulting in two fatalities.

On 2 October 2022, the mono-hulled offshore powerboat Awesome was returning to its home port when it unexpectedly veered to starboard, then rolled violently to port, ejecting ten occupants. Awesome ended up in a vertical position, with its bow in the air, briefly staying afloat before it started to sink by the stern.

Two of the occupants, including a five year old girl, did not survive the accident.

Three local boats were quickly on scene, and ten of the eleven occupants were located and taken to the shore. Five-year-old Brianna Graham was rushed to hospital, where she was declared deceased shortly afterwards.

Despite an extensive and coordinated search effort, the eleventh occupant, 32-year-old Kristal Black, remained missing. Divers later found her body in the forward cabin of Awesome during a pre-salvage inspection of the wreck on the seabed. 

Awesome ended up in a vertical position, before starting to sink.

MAIB investigation

The MAIB’s investigation has concluded that the loss of control of Awesome was the result of a sudden mechanical failure. It was determined that the deceased were likely to have been rendered unconscious during the accident and subsequently drowned.

Awesome was equipped with several PFDs. However, none of Awesome’s passengers were wearing a PFD at the time of the accident and many could not swim well. The swift response and prompt actions of the fishing vessel skipper and the charter boat captain likely prevented several other people from drowning.

It is likely that both Brianna and Kristal were rendered unconscious during the accident. It is unknown whether wearing a PFD would have saved their lives; however, a PFD could have significantly improved their chances of survival.

Safety issues

The MAIB’s report has noted the following safety issues:

• Steering control was lost when a drive shaft failed and severed a hydraulic pipe feeding the steering system. The mechanical failure of a drive shaft occurred due to a lack of maintenance.
• The kill cords designed to stop the engines in an emergency were not being used.
• Both of the victims drowned. It is likely that they were both rendered unconscious during the accident, neither was wearing a PFD.
• Awesome had seating for five people; at the time of the accident there were 11 people on board, including four children.

The report details the events leading up to the accident and those onboard.

The owner

Awesome’s owner was an experienced leisure boater who had driven boats in the waters around the BVI for many years. The owner did not hold any formal boating qualifications and had not undertaken formal maritime navigation or safety training.

The owner had experience of working with engines and undertook most of the boat’s maintenance, engaging the services of a local professional marine engineer to assist with more complex aspects.

Seating 

Awesome had seating capacity for five people. Two seats were located forward in the cockpit area, one on the port side and the other on the starboard side, which was also the driver’s position. A further three seats were fitted in the aft of the cockpit, across the width of the boat.

Awesome had dedicated seating for five people in the cockpit area but at the time of the accident it was travelling with eleven people on board.

Kristal Black was seated on the port side of the rear seats with her two-year-old child on her lap. There were three other adults sitting across the rear seats, totalling five people on three seats. Brianna was seated in the driver’s seat and the owner was standing beside her. Two of the owner’s friends were standing in the forward section of the cockpit and two boys (nine and 11 years old) were standing in front of the starboard single seat. 

Post-recovery inspection and safety equipment 

The Royal Virgin Islands police force engaged a local surveyor to inspect Awesome post-recovery and before the MAIB investigators attended. The surveyor found the port drive shaft from the stern drive to the gearbox lying in the bottom of the boat. On further inspection it was evident that a yoke on the aftmost universal joint had failed. The surveyor also noted that a hydraulic pressure hose near to the failed drive shaft had been severed. 

The MAIB’s post-recovery inspection of Awesome found pyrotechnic flares, a portable very high frequency (VHF) radio and several PFDs in the forward cabin space. The cables and linkages to and from the engines were in good order. Many of the electrical system connections had been displaced but it could not be determined whether this damage occurred during the accident or while the wreck was being recovered. Both drive shafts were examined by MAIB investigators who found that there was no evidence of the universal joints having been regularly greased. 

Damage was noted to the dashboard in front of the driving position and to the rear section of the port side of Awesome’s hull. The engine cover was also missing. Some of the hull damage was known to have occurred during the wreck recovery operation. There was no damage to the bottom of the hull or to the propellers. 

Awesome’s engines were equipped with kill switches, operated by kill cords that should have been clipped to the driver when the boat’s engines were running. However, the kill cords were found to be still in place and tied back, indicating that they were not being used as intended. Had the kill cords been worn, the accident sequence might have been shorter and with a less serious outcome.

The owner had no formal qualifications and had not attended locally available training courses so relied on experience to operate Awesome. Instruction in the use of navigation and safety equipment and boat operations and limitations would have developed the owner’s understanding of boat operations and limitations and enhanced their safety consciousness.

The report concludes that steering control was lost when a universal joint on the drive shaft from the port engine failed and the flailing drive shaft severed a steering system hydraulic pressure hose, resulting in a total loss of pressure in the steering system. 

Awesome forcibly ejected ten of the eleven occupants because the hull lost its grip on the water when it veered sharply to starboard at high speed, which induced a lateral slide that arrested abruptly as the keel gripped the water triggering a violent roll. 

The accident required a combination of the loss of drive to the port propeller and the loss of steering control. Had only one or other occurred, or had the hydraulic steering system been fitted with a failsafe system, it is likely the outcome would have been much less severe.

MAIB actions

A safety flyer to the recreational craft industry and pleasure craft owners and users was produced with the report to highlight the need for regular maintenance, the importance of wearing PFDs and kill cords and the role of training in raising awareness.

Recommendations

No recommendations have been made in this report. The full report is available online, published by the MAIB.

This investigation was carried out by the UK Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) on behalf of the British Virgin Islands Government in accordance with the memorandum of understanding between the MAIB and the Red Ensign Group Category 1 registry of the British Virgin Islands.