A too-large catch was behind the sinking of a commercial fishing vessel last year off the coast of Virginia, according to a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) report. There were no injuries or fatalities among the crew, but the five people on board the Langley Douglas had to be rescued by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter.

The incident occurred on the morning of September 11, 2017, when the Langley Douglas developed a port list, capsized, and subsequently sank 60 miles east of Cape Charles, Virginia.

How it happened

The NTSB determined that the probable cause of the capsizing and sinking of fishing vessel Langley Douglas was the captain’s decision to unload a large catch that overflowed the pen and spilled out on deck, which―coupled with trapped water on deck due to blocked freeing ports and shifting of liquids in partially filled tanks―caused the vessel to roll to port and downflood.

No pollution was reported. The Langley Douglas was valued at $1.95 million.