Astoria Bar Pilot Death - another update

Not too long ago, I received a comment from someone about my April 17, 2006 post concerning Bar Pilot Kevin Murray's death, and the ensuing investigation. The writer urged me to express my displeasure about the series of preventable mishaps that caused Capt. Murray's demise, and to ask what newer/better safety precautions were under consideration.

I emailed the Oregon Board of Maritime Pilots, and was sent a copy of the special session minutes concerning the investigation into Capt. Murray's death. You can read the minutes here:

Bar Pilot Death Investigation Minutes

The minutes make for some pretty grim reading, as you can really get a feel for the panic and frustration during the incident. The safety improvements called for make sense, except for one thing - the improvements do not take human error into account, and it was a combination of human errors that caused Capt. Murray's death.

So when is someone going to figure out how to get around the human error factor?

Astoria Photografpix

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