On may 26th, 2010, the owner / operator of a 1982 sabre, 17 feet in length, which displayed expired florida registration fl-2732-fx, was traveling westbound across lake pontchartrain enroute to the mandeville harbor with Operator’s three (3) year old son and a friend / employee, 35 years of age. According to information provided by Operator, at approx 2355 hrs his vessel went out of control spinning like a "carnival ride" that resulted in him and his son being thrown to the floor and his friend being thrown out of the vessel. Operator advised agents that he did not know what had happened to cause his vessel to go out of control; he stated that he could have possibly hit an object in the water but he wasn't sure. A search was immediately conducted by louisiana wildlife and fisheries, the st. Tammany parish sheriff's office and the united states coast guard, which consisted of numerous patrol vessels and two (2) helicopters, but their search for friend was unsuccessful. Operator voluntarily consented to give blood for any intoxicants at lakeview regional hospital in the presence of senior agent. During the course of the investigation only two (2) pfd's (personal flotation devices) were located, which both Operator and his son were wearing. When asked about the third pfd Operator stated it must have blown out when the boat went out of control. For further information, see the narrative portion of this report as well as all written statements.
Mandeville                    