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Drowned cadet in wrong lifejacket | Drowned cadet in wrong lifejacket |
(about 2 hours later) | |
A teenage Army cadet who drowned after being pinned under a capsized boat was wearing the wrong kind of lifejacket, an investigation has found. | A teenage Army cadet who drowned after being pinned under a capsized boat was wearing the wrong kind of lifejacket, an investigation has found. |
Kaylee McIntosh, 14, from Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, died on a training exercise on Loch Carnan on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides last summer. | Kaylee McIntosh, 14, from Fyvie, Aberdeenshire, died on a training exercise on Loch Carnan on South Uist in the Outer Hebrides last summer. |
A Marine Accident Investigation Branch report said her lifejacket was not approved for use by children. | A Marine Accident Investigation Branch report said her lifejacket was not approved for use by children. |
It said the jacket's extra buoyancy would have pinned her under the boat. | It said the jacket's extra buoyancy would have pinned her under the boat. |
An error in a headcount taken after the incident meant the teenager was trapped under the boat for an hour and a half before it was noticed she was missing. | An error in a headcount taken after the incident meant the teenager was trapped under the boat for an hour and a half before it was noticed she was missing. |
Her body was recovered by fish farm workers from under the vessel off Steisay Island two hours later. | Her body was recovered by fish farm workers from under the vessel off Steisay Island two hours later. |
The report said the lifejacket Kaylee was given was more than three times the buoyancy of those usually used by cadets in training activities. | The report said the lifejacket Kaylee was given was more than three times the buoyancy of those usually used by cadets in training activities. |
Although it is not certain when Cadet M drowned, the delay in recognising the fact that she was missing undoubtedly reduced her chances of survival Marine Accident Investigation Branch report | |
Read the report Most computers will open PDF documents automatically, but you may need to download Adobe Acrobat Reader. Download the reader here | |
It stated: "Following capsize, of the four persons who surfaced under the upturned hull, only Cadet M was unable to swim clear. | |
"When recovered, her lifejacket was inflated and, as this had to be achieved manually, it is evident that she took this action at some point during her ordeal. | |
"In the absence of any instructions regarding what to do in the event of capsize, this was probably an instinctive reaction to help keep her afloat. | |
"However, the lifejacket was not approved for use by children, and its buoyancy was over three times that of the approved lifejackets supplied for cadet force adventurous training activities. | |
"Consequently, once inflated, it would have pinned Cadet M under the craft and prevented her escape." | |
Kaylee was one of 34 cadets taking part in the three-boat exercise on 3 August. | Kaylee was one of 34 cadets taking part in the three-boat exercise on 3 August. |
A rescue operation was launched after a vessel carrying the schoolgirl and 12 others capsized in choppy seas. | A rescue operation was launched after a vessel carrying the schoolgirl and 12 others capsized in choppy seas. |
Headcount error | |
The vessel, known as a Rigid Raiding Craft 2, had taken on water which became trapped on deck because the boat's "trouser leg" drains had not been lowered. | The vessel, known as a Rigid Raiding Craft 2, had taken on water which became trapped on deck because the boat's "trouser leg" drains had not been lowered. |
An instruction for the seated cadets to move from one side of the boat to the other triggered it to go under. | An instruction for the seated cadets to move from one side of the boat to the other triggered it to go under. |
A headcount was carried out, but it is thought that a young female instructor may have been identified as a cadet or counted twice. | A headcount was carried out, but it is thought that a young female instructor may have been identified as a cadet or counted twice. |
As the cadets came from different detachments across the county and were seated in the boats on a first-come-first-served basis, nobody noticed Kaylee was missing. | As the cadets came from different detachments across the county and were seated in the boats on a first-come-first-served basis, nobody noticed Kaylee was missing. |
The report stated: "Although it is not certain when Cadet M drowned, the delay in recognising the fact that she was missing undoubtedly reduced her chances of survival." | The report stated: "Although it is not certain when Cadet M drowned, the delay in recognising the fact that she was missing undoubtedly reduced her chances of survival." |
The investigation identified several other failures during the exercise. | The investigation identified several other failures during the exercise. |
It said the boat was "ill-prepared and ill-equipped" to navigate safely between Loch Carnan and Loch Skipport. | It said the boat was "ill-prepared and ill-equipped" to navigate safely between Loch Carnan and Loch Skipport. |
A machine gun had been strapped to the boat, against regulations | |
The report also said the route had not been properly planned and the coxswains had not been well briefed. | The report also said the route had not been properly planned and the coxswains had not been well briefed. |
It also pointed out that while the cadets were carrying regulation training rifles, the cadet executive officer (CEO) - a former paratrooper - had fitted a general purpose machine gun with blank ammunition to the boat. | |
Such a weapon is not authorised for the Army Cadet Force (AFC) to use. | |
Following the accident, all boat "gifting" from the Ministry of Defence to the AFC has been suspended. | |
The 2nd Battalion the Highlanders AFC, of which Kaylee was a member, has also temporarily suspended all powerboat activities. | The 2nd Battalion the Highlanders AFC, of which Kaylee was a member, has also temporarily suspended all powerboat activities. |
An MoD statement said: "The Army and Army Cadet Forces have taken actions in the light of this tragic accident. | |
"We are still awaiting directions from Stornoway procurator fiscal and it would be unwise to speculate or comment further until that decision is made. | |
"The Army has co-operated fully with investigations by Northern Constabulary and the MAIB and remains available to assist in any way possible. | |
"The Army will reopen its own Board of Inquiry into the incident once all the investigations have been completed by the procurator fiscal, the Northern Constabulary and the MAIB." |