The Texas A&M University at Galveston sailboat whose sinking this month killed a crewman ran aground twice in the last two years, according to university records described in today’s Austin American-Statesman.

In one of the groundings, the boat’s keel was damaged, the newspaper reported. The keel, a blade-shaped protrusion from the bottom of the hull that was weighted with lead, helped to stabilize the boat, the Cynthia Woods. When the keel fell off, on June 6, the boat foundered so quickly that one of its officers could not get off in time. Five other crewmen, including four students, were rescued.

The accident, which took place during a race from Galveston to Veracruz, Mexico, is under investigation. The Texas A&M University system official who is supervising the inquiry discounted the significance of the two groundings.

“Vessels run aground, and vessels get repairs,” Jay Kimbrough, deputy chancellor and general counsel, told the newspaper. “Just because it ran aground does not give me an ‘a-ha’ moment.”

The keel was located last week on the sea floor, 32 miles off the Texas coast, and was subsequently recovered. —Andrew Mytelka