Operator was traveling northeast in Bayou Black towards the bridge where Hwy 182 crosses the bayou. Operator pulled his throttle back to come off of step in order to go under the bridge. When he did so, his throttle was stuck in gear and the boat did not come off of step initially. The throttle, which was a hotfoot, finally released and the boat began to come off step. As it did, the bow came up in the air. The trolling motor on the front of the vessel hit the underside of the bridge. The trolling motor was ripped up from the front of the bow. The head of the trolling motor was broken, and there was some fiberglass damage where the bolts were pulled from the fiberglass. Operator was not injured. He was wearing a type III PFD with the kill lanyard attached to his PFD. Operator estimated that his vessel was going 10mph or less as it was coming down off of step. Operator stated that he let off of the throttle and attempted to come off step 200-300 ft. from the bridge. He also advised agents that his vessel had had work done on it two  times prior because of the throttle sticking and supposedly had been fixed the last time. Through investigation, it was decided that the accident was caused by mechanical issues and not careless operation by Operator. Operator was not issued any citations.
Gibson                        