On 3/11/11, at approximately 1:00pm, Operator and his two companions were operating the vessel heading back from a day of fishing on the cape fear river to the boat ramp located at the end of reigel course rd in columbus county.  According to the two companions, they had struck a log just a few minutes before arriving at the boat ramp.  They stated that the boat was operating as it should and showed no sign of any damage.  According to the two men, all three occupants had gotten off at the ramp and Operator retrieved his vehicle and backed his trailer into the water to load the vessel.  Operator then entered into the vessel alone and proceeded to maneuver it around in order to drive it onto the trailer.  The men stated that the first attempt to load the vessel was unsuccessful, so Operator backed the boat up off the trailer to try again.  It was at this time that the vessel lost power and began to rapidly take on water over the stern.  According to the two witnesses, Operator appeared to panic and proceeded to jump off the boat because he thought it was going to sink.  There were three pfds laid out in the vessel, but Operator jumped out before retrieving one.  

The witnesses stated that instead of trying to swim back to the boat, which was still semi afloat, Operator tried to swim to the shore against the slow moving current.  They stated that he quickly went down under the water, then surfaced, and went down a second time.  After the second submersion he was never seen again.  They called 911 and waited for assistance.  Upon arrival at the scene, emergency personnel quickly mobilized and began a search and rescue effort to recover the victim.  When the rescue divers located the victims body it was in 13 feet of water directly below where he had last been seen.  The vessel was retrieved and was towed to the shore.  It was overturned but still afloat.  Because of the weight and position of the vessel, it was necessary to have a wrecker come down and bring the boat out of the water.  

Because the wrecker did substantial damage to the hull of the vessel while loading it, it became very difficult to determine what damage had been done to the hull, if any, prior to the retrieval of it after the accident.  Based upon witness statements and the overall view of the vessel, it appears that the vessel had prior hull damage that had been allowing water to enter into the hull.  The vessel was also rated for a motor with a maximum horsepower of 75, but was in fact fitted with a 115 horsepower outboard.  The hull showed signs that it had been compromised prior to the sinking as well.  Inspection showed two locations where the hull had cracked severely and someone had used steel brackets which were bolted to the hull in an attempt to stop any further separation.  These two places were located at the stern near the gunwale.  It appears to this investigator that the hull probably was allowing water to enter, and that the motor was too large for the vessel, adding to the overall weight.  

The fact that witnesses claim to have struck a log minutes before the accident leads one to assume that they already compromised hull may have sustained further damage and thereby allowed more water to enter in than usual.  With the added water weight, the oversized motor, and the fact that the vessel would be sitting with the stern lower in the water anyway because of the angle of the boat ramp, it's  possible that when the victim backed up off the trailer, it may have caused water to rush over the stern, flood the boat and therefore cause it to begin sinking in the rapid manner in which witnesses described.  As stated before, because of the damage done to the hull while retrieving it, it is difficult to say for certain, but it is the opinion of this investigator that the facts mentioned earlier show that this is the most probable scenario.  No alcohol or drugs contributed to this accident.

RIEGELWOOD                    