At 2051 hrs on 6/27/09, NRO  was informed, via telephone by Jefferson Co Sheriff's dispatch, that a sailboat had overturned and that there were subjects in the water.  The initial location was near the Longview campground on Lake Perry.  At approximately 2215 hrs, NRO  arrived at the Perry Yacht Club to speak with the operator and occupants of the sailboat.  There had been a lot of confusion on the exact whereabouts and condition of the occupants of the capsized vessel, thus increasing the response time.  When NRO  arrived, he was led  up to the area where the owner/operator of the sailboat, Operator 1, his two sons, Passenger 1 and Passenger 2, and his son-in-law, Passenger 3, all of Kansas City, KS, were located.  According to Operator 1, he, his two sons and his son-in-law were on his vessel and had just turned on the engine when for no apparent reason the keel dislodged from the bottom of the hull, creating a large hole.  Operator 1 stated that he did not recall hitting anything and was unsure why the keel dislodged from the hull.  The vessel reportedly took on water for approximately three or four minutes before it capsized, with approximately 3/4 of it sinking below the waterline (See photo log)  Operator 1 and another occupant stayed with his vessel while two of the others reportedly attempted to swim to the east shoreline, approximately 500 yards away.  All four reportedly were wearing their personal floatation devices.  According to Good Samaritan 1, an unidentified subject, who was outside the Yacht Club, reportedly observed the capsized sailboat in the water and alerted everyone.  Immediately thereafter, Good Samaritan 1, whom with the assistance of Good Samaritan 2 and Good Samaritan 3, launched a boat from the Yacht Club and retrieved the four occupants, taking them back to the Yacht Club thereafter.  While obtaining the information for the accident report, NRO  had to repeat some of his questions before Operator 1 would answer them and observed that Operator 1's eyes appeared to be glossy and that he appeared to have trouble standing without leaning against something for support, indicating he may have been slightly impaired at said time.  It should be noted that an Army Corps of Engineers Manager was simultaneously asking Operator 1 questions during NRO 's interview and that children were playing nearby and others were speaking around them, likely distracting Operator 1.  During a phone conversation the following afternoon, Operator 1 admitted to NRO  that he had been drinking on the day of the incident; however, NRO  found no evidence to suggest that alcohol was a contributing factor in this incident.  He was unable to determine how much, if any, alcohol was in Operator 1's system while he had been operating his vessel due to the time it took to locate him after said incident took place.  Furthermore, he had reason to believe Operator 1 may have consumed alcohol after arriving at the Yacht club, just prior to NRO  speaking with him.  Also, NRO  had to terminate his interview early in order to respond to an emergency on the water, thus, was not able to make any determinations as to whether or not Operator 1's ability to operate a vessel was normal or impaired, nor conduct any blood alcohol tests on Operator 1 in a reasonable time after he had operated his vessel.  On 6/28/09, at approximately 0120 hrs, NRO  located Operator 1's submerged vessel with the aid of two Perry 'State Park Rangers; he also marked its location in his GPS at said time.  They also tied a large white bumper to an orange floatation device that had been attached to the rudder to help warn other boaters of the vessel.  At approximately 1850 hrs on said date, NRO  photographed the vessel in the same location on the water (see photo log).  On 7/2/09, NRO  was informed that Operator 1's vessel had been recovered from the lake and had been move
Ozawkie                       