PORTSMOUTH, Va. – The Coast Guard conducted a successful rescue operation on Wednesday, saving 11 individuals from the water near Oregon Inlet, North Carolina, after their airboat capsized.
The rescue mission began when a dispatcher from Dare County, North Carolina, contacted Coast Guard Sector North Carolina at around 10:15 a.m. to report that the OBX 1, a 20-foot airboat, had capsized approximately half a mile west of Oregon Inlet. The dispatcher informed the Coast Guard that there were varying degrees of injuries among the passengers, but all were wearing life jackets.
Coast Guard watchstanders acted swiftly, dispatching a 27-foot Shallow Water Response Boat and a 29-foot Response Boat from Coast Guard Station Oregon Inlet to the scene. In addition, an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, diverted from their local training operations to provide oversight and on-scene communications.
Upon arrival, the Oregon Inlet rescue boat crews immediately retrieved one person from the water, who had been trapped under the airboat and suffered potential chest and head injuries. A Dare County Life Flight helicopter crew was requested to assist in transporting the injured person to Sentara Norfolk General Hospital while the Coast Guard crews rescued the remaining ten people from the water.
All the survivors were taken to Station Oregon Inlet, where they received medical attention from awaiting emergency medical services personnel. Two of the rescued individuals were reported to have sustained serious injuries.
Following the rescue operation, commercial salvage teams towed the OBX 1 to Pirates Cove Marina in Manteo, North Carolina.
As of now, the incident remains under investigation by Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment Nags Head to determine the cause of the airboat’s capsizing and assess the overall safety of the operation.