(a) Each report required by § 173.55 of this subpart must be in writing, dated upon completion, and signed by the person who prepared it.

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(b) Each report must contain, if available, at least the following information about the casualty or accident:

(1) Number and name of each vessel involved;

(2) Name and address of each owner of each vessel involved;

(3) Name of the nearest city or town, the county, the State, and the body of water;

(4) Time and date the casualty or accident occurred;

(5) Location on the water;

(6) Visibility, weather, and water conditions;

(7) Estimated air and water temperatures;

(8) Name, address, age, or date of birth, telephone number, vessel operating experience, and boating safety training of the operator making the report;

(9) Name and address of each operator of each vessel involved;

(10) Number of persons onboard or towed on skis by each vessel;

(11) Name, address, and date of birth of each person injured or killed;

(12) Cause of each death;

(13) Weather forecasts available to and weather reports used by the operator before and during the use of the vessel;

(14) Name and address of each owner of property involved;

(15) Availability and use of personal flotation devices;

(16) Type and number of each fire extinguisher used;

(17) Nature and extent of each injury;

(18) Description of all property damage and vessel damage with an estimate of the cost of all repairs;

(19) Description of each equipment failure that caused or contributed to the cause of the casualty;

(20) Description of the vessel casualty or accident;

(21) Type of vessel operation (cruising, drifting, fishing, hunting, skiing, racing, or other), and the type of accident (capsizing, sinking, fire, explosion, or other);

(22) Opinion of the person making the report as to the cause of the casualty, including whether or not alcohol or drugs, or both, was a cause of or contributed to causing the casualty.

(23) Characteristics of the reporting operator’s vessel, including—

(i) Make;

(ii) Model;

(iii) Type: authorized terms are “air boat”, “auxiliary sail”, “cabin motorboat”, “houseboat”, “inflatable boat”, “open motorboat”, “paddlecraft”, “personal watercraft”, “pontoon boat”, “rowboat”, “sail only”, or “other”;

(iv) Beam width at widest point;

(v) Overall length of vessel;

(vi) Depth from transom to keel;

(vii) Horsepower;

(viii) Propulsion: authorized terms are “air thrust”, “manual”, “propeller”, “sail”, “water jet”, or “other”;

(ix) Fuel: authorized terms are “electric”, “diesel”, “gas”, or “other”;

(x) Engine drive type: authorized terms are “inboard”, “outboard”, “pod drive”, “sterndrive”, or “other”;

(xi) Hull material: authorized terms are “aluminum”, “fiberglass”, “plastic”, “rubber/vinyl/canvas”, “steel”, “wood”, or “other”; and

(xii) Model year;

(24) Name, address, and telephone number of each witness;

(25) Manufacturer’s hull identification number, if any, of the reporting operator’s vessel; and

(26) Name, address, and telephone number of the person submitting the report.

[USCG-2003-14963, 77 FR 18700, Mar. 28, 2012, as amended at USCG-2021-0348, 87 FR 3223, Jan. 21, 2022]