Experienced hydroplane racer died after distraction and missed turn led to crash
Brett Duncan, an experienced 51-year-old hydroplane racer, died after crashing into a moored houseboat at about 70mph during a practice session at Oulton Broad, Suffolk. An inquest heard that a possible distraction shortly before the crash may have contributed to his failure to turn, though investigators said the precise sequence of events could not be known for certain.
Video analysis showed Duncan looking left and then down into the boat before looking up just before impact. Investigators found the hydroplane’s controls were working normally, but its kill cord was not attached to his wrist; the cord would have stopped the engine if he had been thrown into the water. The coroner concluded that driver error contributed to the collision.
In short
- Brett Duncan died in a 70mph hydroplane crash.
- An inquest heard he may have been distracted by an unattached kill cord.
- Investigators found no faults with the boat’s controls.
Explained simply
Hydroplane racing is a form of powerboat racing in which lightweight boats skim across the water at high speed. Oulton Broad, in Suffolk, is a venue for the sport, where racers practise and compete on a course marked out on the water.
Brett Duncan was a long-standing competitor in the sport. The inquest examined how his boat struck a moored houseboat during a practice session, including whether he had been distracted and whether safety equipment was in use.
A kill cord is designed to stop a boat’s engine if its driver is thrown overboard. Inquests establish the circumstances of a death; they can consider evidence such as video and mechanical inspections, while some details of an accident may remain uncertain.
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Originally published by Daily Mail as “Hydroplane racer who died in a 70mph crash against a houseboat ‘may have been distracted after forgetting to attach a safety cord to his wrist’”.