A sad end to memorial day in Erie

[sstaz]

I do not know the the people personally, but a very good friend of mine does. This is very tragic, it happened right after fueling up tonight and all of details are not in yet. One girl was thrown from the boat and her body has not been found yet. Please... no bashing or arm chair quarter back stuff. Just prayers to the families involved and remember to always do your best to make sure all safety precautions are followed to the best of your ability.

Thank you,

Craig

http://yourerie.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=176187

 

[Plotus]

Re: A sad end to memorial day in Erie

Thats awful news, waiting for news of the enevitable must be wrenching. Our prayers go out to the family, may they get through this, may the Lord surround and comfort them.

 

[Tim Wagner]

Boat explosion in Erie.

Boat explosion in Erie.

Google the title and you'll find it.
happened just after refueling.
This was a 32 footer.
1 dead and either 6 or 9 injured.
Remember to run your blower folks.

 

[Fordiesel69]

Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

After a great 2 days of boating over memorial weekend, I woke up today to read this. Makes me sick to read somthing like this. I have no info to add as it is all hear say, but I am still wondering if the blower was on while all this was occuring.


http://goerie.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20110531/NEWS02/305319926
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A 32-foot Wellcraft was experiencing mechanical problems leading up to an explosion Monday night that killed an Erie woman and injured five others, Erie's chief fire inspector said.

Erie Chief Fire Inspector Guy Santone said his investigation into the accident at the Erie Yacht Club showed that the operators of the boat, named Jimmy Time, were having difficulty filling one of the boat's two fuel tanks, and that an old gasket that "gave way" and allowed fuel vapors to enter the engine compartment instead of being blown out.

The boat exploded when it backfired while the operator tried to get it started, Santone said.

Killed in the blast was Erin Carlisle, 25, of Erie, according to Erie County Coroner Lyell Cook.

Four other people on the boat were injured. They were identified as the boat's owner, 32-year-old Aaron Hertel; Michael Brown, 34, Hertel's partner in Hertel & Brown Physical and Aquatic Therapy in Erie; Ryan Carlisle, 25, a physical therapist for Hertel & Brown and the husband of Erin Carlisle; and Hertel's 2-year-old son.

Also injured was the attendant at the Erie Yacht Club's fueling station, identified by Santone as Rachael Palkovic, no age available.

All five of the injured were taken to Pittsburgh hospitals for treatment. Santone said he had no information on their conditions.

See Wednesday's Erie Times-News and GoErie.com for more details.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Happens at least a few times every season, almost always right after refueling, and almost always preventable. People either don't know or don't follow safe fueling pracrices. All that was needed to save a life in this case was for someone to open the engine hatch and perform ye olde 'sniff test' before turning the key. It's a must do that folks don't.

A shame.

 

[sw33ttooth]

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

about 4 years ago i was camping on memorial weekend and some one tried lighting the water heated in an 80's motor home turned out it had a gas leak and those things are not fire proof i can tell you that as i watched 40 foot flames that could not be put out. burnt the camper to frame and totaled the car that was 10 feet away from it. helicopter landed and took 3 of the 5 people injured away lucky no one died.

i usually run my blower for 1-2 minuites before starting my boat the guy i bought it from said only need to use it when i fuel up but better be safe then sorry. also i check the engine hatch almost every time to make sure;
A. carb isn't leaking gas, wierd things happen.
B. fumes, if i can smell it chances are it can be light on fire.
C. make sure that some nuckle head didn't put something in there, that may be a problem for the engine.

i check a few other things randomly quite often rather be safe then stranded or worse.

 

[relocyo]

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Very sad, almost had a very similiar thing happen to me, I posted it hear a cpl years back, my friend pumped $150 worth of fuel into a rodholder that emptied in to the engine bay, thankfully the attendant noticed to bilge pump pumping raw fuel into the water, we were payed up and ready to start the boat, but she returned with our cc receipt, noticed it, and probably saved all 5 of our lives 6 if you count her...

 

[Steve91T]

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Over this weekend, we did a lot of shutting down and restarting. I made sure that whoever was starting the boat ran the blower for at least 30 seconds before cranking. I was almost embarrassed to be so anal, especially if we just shut down and just needed to run the engine for a few minutes to reposition. But reading this makes me realize that it's just no worth it.

Thanks for posting.
Steve

 

[relocyo]

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Run it... Crazy thing with mine is the blower motor was under the fuel level... And automatic... Be careful... My name is Steve also... and if you're embarrassed tell them our stories...

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Boat explosion in Erie.

Re: Boat explosion in Erie.

Sad situation.

We had a three year old child in our area die today, after being left in a car for 8 hours in 95 degree heat. The child was in the care of a godmother, who has a reputation for being responsible.

You know people don't mean to make mistakes like this, but they still hurt your heart a little.

 

[JoLin]

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

i usually run my blower for 1-2 minuites before starting my boat the guy i bought it from said only need to use it when i fuel up but better be safe then sorry. also i check the engine hatch almost every time to make sure;
A. carb isn't leaking gas, wierd things happen.
B. fumes, if i can smell it chances are it can be light on fire.
C. make sure that some nuckle head didn't put something in there, that may be a problem for the engine.

The guy you bought the boat from was wrong. 1-2 minutes isn't enough. Should be 4-5. Before every day's first start, I do that as well as a sniff test. Ditto after refueling. Here's the drill-

Moor the boat securely to prevent spillage
Shut off all engines
All passengers go ashore
Extinguish all open flames
Do not smoke while refueling
Turn off electrical switches and batteries, and refrain from operating electrical devices
Close all windows, portholes, hatches and cabin doors
Remove portable tanks from the boat before refueling
Ground the nozzle against the filler pipe
Know the capacity of your fuel tank and don't overfill it; you have a duty to prevent leakage or spillage or fuel into the hull or water
Wipe up any spillage and properly dispose of the cloth or towel used
Operate the engine compartment blower for at least 4 minutes immediately before starting up the gasoline engine
Check for vapour odors (before starting up the engine).

 

[stackz]

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

very very sad but I want to try to learn from this if possible.

how does this happen exactly? is it like the fuel lines from the filler cap to the tank were leaking from age or something? arent these systems set up to be sealed? like how are these fumes getting from the inside of the system to the outside?? cracks in tanks/lines? bad tank gaskets, etc?

also, I'm not super familiar with the larger type boats, so I assume the bilge blower is JUST for removing gas fumes? do it not automatically turn on when the key is turned on and is always running while the boat is live? I mean even though they are marine carbed engines, you'll still have fumes from inside the carb jets leaking out. its just inherent in carbed engines. it is what it is.

I mean, if this is such a problem, you'd think people would open the hatches periodically (or every time) and smell for fumes, then try to trace the problem and reseal it?

 

[25thmustang]

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

On a side note, I always open the hatches and head down into the bilge prior to even turning on the blower motor. Check the fluids, then hit the blower motor for the 4-5 minutes, and only then will I turn the key.

stackz, the bilge blowers are for removing the fumes from the bilge area. They however do not turn on when the key is on, they are on a seperate switch. As you stated I consider it a must to open the hatches before I even turn on the blower. Although I have never heard of it happening, the though of a blower motor sparking and causing an explosion has been mentioned before and sticks with me.

As for the carbs throwing fumes, this could very well be true, but with the boat driving, I imagine there is enough air flow to remove these fumes, it is only when the boat is sitting still that they can build up.

Very sad story about this happening, and it definately happens every year.

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

I was emailing a friend of mine from Erie this morning. Apparently his cousin was friends with the girl who died. Very sad. Perhaps they got some further info in Erie but my friend said he heard they were using the blower but they had a bad leak somewhere caused the fire.

 

[exp2000]

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Newbie question here, but does this apply to outboard also?

 

[ezmobee]

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Re: Boat Explosion - Erie, PA

Newbie question here, but does this apply to outboard also?

Not really cuz you don't (or shouldn't) have an enclosed ignition source.