Lifeboat fell off Attenborough ship in accident off Mull
Getty ImagesA lack of maintenance led to a lifeboat falling from RRS Sir David Attenborough while the polar ship was in Scotland, investigators say.
Three people were in the lifeboat when it dropped into the sea in Loch Buie, Mull.
No-one was seriously injured in the accident, which happened during lifeboat drills on 4 March 2021.
Investigators said a locking device on a crane holding the lifeboat was badly corroded and did not work properly.
The Marine Accident Investigation Branch (MAIB) said it had identified a number of key safety issues.
It said a safety equipment survey failed to spot that installation of the crane, called a davit, was not in accordance with regulations.
The ship's crew had not been trained in the operation of the davit and were unfamiliar with the correct operating procedure.
Also, the vessel's operator had suspended maintenance of critical equipment.
The MAIB has made several safety recommendations,
The £200m ship took four years to construct.
The Attenborough came to the public's attention in 2016 in an online initiative in which the public was asked to suggest a name.
"Boaty McBoatface" was the suggestion that gained most support.
UK government ministers, however, rejected this as inappropriate, and ordered that one of the country's most recognisable TV personalities, with a lifetime's association with the natural world, be honoured instead.