Reuters AlertNet Lite - Human factors cited in fatal Canadian ferry crash

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Human factors cited in fatal Canadian ferry crash

26 Mar 2007 20:32:20 GMT
Source: Reuters

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, March 26 (Reuters) - "Human factors" were the primary cause of a fatal Canadian ferry accident last year on a route traveled by thousands of tourists annually, according to a report released on Monday.

The Queen of the North sailed on the wrong course for 14 minutes before it slammed into an island on Canada's Pacific coast while moving at 17.5 knots (32 km/h, 20 mph), according to the internal investigation by the ship's operator, BC Ferries.

Ninety-nine people were rescued in the March 22, 2006, accident, which occurred in the middle of the night, but two passengers are missing and presumed dead.

A company panel said data from the ship's "black box" recording equipment conflicted with statement by a crewmember on the bridge that she tried to change course at the last minute to avoid the accident.

"The Divisional Inquiry Panel concluded that human factors were the primary cause of the sinking of the Queen of the North," the provincial ferry company said in a statement on the 28-page report.

The panel found no malfunctions with the ship's navigational equipment or autopilot system, and the two-member bridge crew lost track of where the vessel was during the trip down the coast from Prince Rupert to Vancouver Island.

The accident site about 75 miles south of Prince Rupert is in British Columbia's Inside Passage -- a route along the rugged Canadian west coast that is traveled by thousands of cruise ship passengers each summer.

A investigation by federal transportation safety officials is not expected to be released for several weeks.

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Last updated:Mon Mar 26 20:33:21 2007