17 people died in July 2018 when a Duck Boat sank on Table Rock Lake

17 people died in July 2018 when a Duck Boat sank on Table Rock Lake

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17 people died in July 2018 when a Duck Boat sank on Table Rock Lake

Four years after a tragedy that killed 17 people on Table Rock Lake in Branson, Missouri, duck boats are returning to the popular tourist destination.

But, organizers say these are not the same "ducks" so to speak, and the tours will seek new scenery on a different lake.

A new group, The Branson Duck Tours, announced the return of the amphibious tours to Branson this spring, calling the tours a beloved Branson tradition.

According to the company's website, the group will be using a different vehicle — the Hydra-Terra.

"The Hydra-Terra is the only state-of-the-art amphibious tour bus specifically designed and built for safe duck tours," the company said on its website.

“The largest improvement to our vehicles that differentiates them is the foam-filled hull that prevents sinking,” said Branson Duck Tours Chief Communications Officer Josh Blumenthal in an interview with KY3.

Blumenthal also said the new vehicles have captain visibility from all passenger seats, wider aisle ways, and an improved fire suppression system.

”Our boats will not have side curtains and I think that’s really important,” said Blumenthal. “That was such a big part of what added to the 2018 tragedy.”

Also different from the boats used in the 2018 tragedy — the location. The new Hydra-Terra boat tours will take place not on Table Rock Lake, but on nearby Lake Taneycomo.

A Duck Boat full of 31 tourists capsized in rough waters and sank on Table Rock Lake in July 2018 — 17 people, including children, died. Terrifying video from a passenger onboard a different boat showed "Stretch Duck 7" struggling during severe weather.

The boat's operators entered the water during a Severe Thunderstorm Warning. That boat was ultimately unable to handle the storm's rough winds. Video and audio recovered from the boat by divers showed that the lake was calm when the boat entered the water. But the weather suddenly turned violent. Within minutes, the boat sank.

The original duck boats were developed during World War II as a way to get supplies and reinforcements for troops. After the war, they were modified for sightseeing. However, since 1999, the boats have been linked to dozens of deaths.

In May 1999 the Miss Majestic duck boat sank on Lake Hamilton near Hot Springs, Arkansas — 13 people died.

After that tragedy, the NTSB recommended the removal of canopies and side curtains on the boats, which experts said acted as a "barrier to vertical escape."

Stretch Duck 7, part of the fleet owned and operated under Branson's "Ride the Ducks" franchised owned by Ripley Entertainment, still had its canopy.

Ripley suspended operation on Table Rock Lake, and the remaining vehicles in the Branson group's fleet were sold to an Arkansas-based investment company.

The Branson Duck Tours group announcing the new attraction compared the Hydra-Terra's design to the WWII DUKW's on its website.

The group said the new boats follow all DOT and U.S. Coast Guard regulations — whereas the old boats had grandfathered protections and exemptions from certain safety standards.

Blumenthal told KY3 the tours are scheduled to begin at the end of April or the beginning of May.

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