REVEALED: What led to major Fitzroy River boat crash

“Compliance officers carried out an intensive investigation.”

The 6.4m Baysport cuddy cabin vessel was carrying 10 people when it crashed into the south-western bank of the Fitzroy River on New Year’s Day, 2020.

AN INVESTIGATION into a serious boat crash on the Fitzroy River on New Year’s Day has cleared the driver of any wrongdoing.

A Maritime Safety Queensland probe also determined there was nothing defective with the 2016-model powerboat which crashed into the south-western bank of the river with 10 people on board.

The late afternoon accident, which occurred about 7.5km upstream of the barrage in the Rockhampton Ski Gardens area, led to a large-scale rescue operation that went into the night.

Four adults and six children were on board the 6.4m Baysport cuddy cabin vessel, with a 150hp engine, when it crashed.

The four adults and a child were injured – two of them seriously.

Distressed onlookers comfort each other as paramedics attempt to retrieve 10 people involved in a boat crash on the Fitzroy River.

An investigation report states the vessel sustained substantial damage to its bow and interior during the accident.

“The force of the vessel hitting the tree trunk has forced all persons to move forward, breaking both passenger seats off their mounts,” the report states.

It also noted the steering wheel had been buckled under the weight of the driver.

“A tree limb has bent back the bimini and broken the perspex windscreen with large shards of perspex found up to 12 metres away from the bow of the vessel,” the report says.

One of the adult female passengers on board told investigators she did not see any visible obstruction in the river, nor did she form the belief the driver was operating the boat unsafely.

She said she was familiar with the river having grown up tubing and boating, although her last boating trip prior to the incident was 15 years ago.

The scene of the boat crash in the Fitzroy River.

The woman told investigators it was well known that the river had a sharp drop-off about 20 metres from the bank.

She said the driver was operating well outside of this.

She couldn’t offer any explanation as to how the accident occurred.

Investigators determined the boat was travelling about 26 knots (about 11m per second) at the time of the incident, and it was about 10m from the bank.

“With the vessel travelling at that speed so close to the bank, any margin for error was down to one second of judgment for corrections before the vessel hit the bank,” the report states.

“Should the vessel veer off course for any reason, travelling at 10 metres off the bank at 11 metres per second, does not provide much time for (the driver) to take evasive action.”

Conditions were fine and calm on the day of the accident.

Investigators found the boat was carrying enough life jackets for all on board and further noted that all six children were believed to be wearing them at the time of the incident.

They also noted the weather on the day was fine and sunny, and there was no excessive wind.

Maritime Safety Queensland general manager Angus Mitchell said the most likely cause of the accident was “a collision with an unidentified submerged object, which has since moved, causing the boat to veer off course.”

Mr Mitchell said MSQ compliance officers had carried out an intensive investigation.

“This included interviews with witnesses and mechanical inspections,” he said.

“The investigation found no evidence the vessel’s performance or operation contributed to the grounding.”