Duck Boat Seattle Didn’t Make Needed Repairs

SEATTLE (AP) — The company that refurbished the duck boat involved in a crash that killed five people in Seattle says it had no reason to believe the vehicle's owner had not made a recommended repair.

Atlanta-based Ride the Ducks International said in a written statement Monday that its other affiliates and licensees had complied with a service bulletin it issued in 2013 to inspect and repair the front axle housing assembly because it could fail.

The company says the service bulletin applied to 57 duck boats, including some in Seattle; Philadelphia; Stone Mountain Park, Georgia; Branson, Missouri; and Newport, Kentucky.

The company says the other locations complied with the bulletin.

The Seattle duck boat swerved into an oncoming tour bus Thursday, killing five international college students. Investigators say the boat did not have the recommended repair, and its front left axle was found to be sheared off.