On the morning of 29 July 2021, the skipper of the UK registered potting vessel Pioneer (NN200) accidently entered the water as the vessel was heading back to its beach standing in Hastings, England. Pioneer’s sole deckhand was unable to pull him back on board and the skipper was later recovered from the water with the help of a rescue helicopter’s winchman and airlifted to hospital, but he could not be revived.
The MAIB investigation found that Pioneer had a low bulwark at its aft deck, which did not prevent the skipper’s fall into the water. At the time of the accident neither the skipper nor deckhand were wearing a personal flotation device, although two were available on board. Continue reading “MAIB report: Man overboard from potting vessel Pioneer with loss of 1 life”
