Weight may have been factor in boat’s sinking

LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. – Just days before a tour boat capsized in the Adirondack Mountains, killing 20 elderly people, the Coast Guard began rethinking its passenger-weight calculations to take into account Americans’ expanding waistlines.

At the time it flipped over, the 38-foot Ethan Allen was just under its capacity of 48 passengers – a figure that was arrived at by using a New York standard that assumes a 150-pound average for each man, woman and child, authorities said. The U.S. Coast Guard standard assumes a 140-pound average for each person.

Investigators looking into the accident have said that too much weight may have been a factor and suggested those standards may have to be revised because Americans are getting heavier – something the Coast Guard recognized well before the tragedy.

“We are looking at that and we know that if you look around at average people, you know this is not an accurate average to be using,” said Coast Guard spokeswoman Angela McArdle.

The disclosure from the Coast Guard in Washington came as divers combed the bottom of Lake George for the belongings of the elderly passengers tossed into the water and experts examined the boat for clues to why it overturned on a calm, clear Sunday during a one-hour sightseeing tour.

At a news conference late Tuesday, the acting chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board said investigators would conduct tests today to see how The Ethan Allen would have handled at various speeds while carrying its maximum load of 50 people using a 160-pound-per-passenger calculation.

The test also will explain what might have happened if the weight suddenly shifted to one side, a possible cause of the accident.

Acting NTSB Chairman Mark Rosenker also said the 39-year-old boat had modifications that would have made it heavier. Among them, a canvas canopy was replaced with a wood-and-Fiberglas design, a larger engine was installed, and seven lead bricks for ballast were placed in the bow, probably to keep the boat balanced after the larger engine was installed.

The NTSB will do the tests on The Ethan Allen’s twin sister boat, The de Champlain, in what Rosenker called “a very scientific road test.”

“We’re going to learn a lot,” he said.

Rosenker said four passengers interviewed Tuesday told investigators the windows on the boat were open when it flipped, helping some to escape.

Earlier, police said the boat’s operator, Shoreline Cruises, could face a fine of $25 to $100 for failing to have a second crew member on board to aid the 74-year-old captain, Richard Paris. A state inspector determined in May the boat needed two crew members.

The state on Monday night suspended the operating certificates for all five of Shoreline’s boats.