Report finds cause of Jersey Lifeboat crash was 'distraction', not drink
Video report by ITV Channel's Alex Spiceley
An investigation into what caused the Jersey Lifeboat Association's all-weather lifeboat, Sir Max Aitken III, to crash into rocks on 10 November 2021 has reveled the man at the helm had two glasses of wine that same evening.
A 22-page independent report by Marico Marine says issues with equipment caused the coxswain to turn around a number of times, losing his spatial awareness and unknowingly changing course twice.
Speaking to ITV News, Andy Hibbs said that the crash had nothing to do with alcohol.
At 9:42pm that evening, lifeboat crew were paged to assist a French sailing boat caught in fishing gear just North West of Jersey.
The sea was calm but it was a moonless night, meaning a journey in close proximity to the coast in the pitch dark.
It was around 10pm that the lifeboat crashed into the Pierre Au Poisson rocks near Noirmont - no one was injured but the vessel was damaged.
Crew members say the equipment used to help get them to the incident safely - was not working as it should, and therefore caused confusion.
Coxswain Andy Hibbs said in a statement: "I was distracted with the chart plotter, I turned around to see what the problem was and at this point unknowingly changed course while looking behind."
After moving the boat to safer water the crew carried out checks to the lifeboat and made their way back to port in St Helier.
It was at the port that the Delegated Harbour master took Coxswain Andy Hibbs aside and suggested he take a breathalyser test to rule himself out as a factor for the crash.
At that point, Hibbs said he had two glasses of wine with dinner and did not have the breathalyser test.
He told ITV Channel that this is the first accident he has had in 34 years of being a fisherman and 30 years as a crew member.
He was adamant that the crash had nothing to do with alcohol, but instead was because he became distracted.
The report states the cause of the crash included the following factors:
The coxswain was distracted and turned around on more than one occasion to assess thesituation with the navigator
The distracted coxswain, now facing backwards, lost his spatial awareness and made twounintentional and unnoticed small turns to starboard
One of the report's 10 recommendations asks the Harbour Authority (Ports of Jersey) to consider the need for extending their Drug and Alcohol powers.
Ports of Jersey says: "Jersey Coastguard is committed to working with all search and rescue partners to ensure that our search and rescue community maintains the highest standards, as part of Jersey Coastguard’s responsibility in law for search and rescue activity."