Which FOF user

there's a reason it's called an airboat ...

He's probably running close to 80 mph. He hits his brake which is a u shaped thing that is pulled down behind the boat and drags. You can see the roster tail it throws. He then lets it off and turns the boat and hits the gas. He was still hauling ass after he hit the brake and was coasting. You have a lot of lift on the grass rake and with the boat coasting you don't have the prop to help hold the front down and when you turn the outside corner is going to lift. When he hit the gas again the sudden boost was all it took to make him fly. Airboats are fun but dangerous. Things like that happen a lot when people without enough experience buy a boat above the level.

Never owned a airboat but have spent some time on them and they do require a bit of finesse. Hope that nobody got hurt.

Composite. Number of blades goes up to 8 I think. There is a counter rotating gear box that can tale more. I have a 6 cylinder Continental aircraft engine with a 5 blade on it. My smaller boat with a 4 cylinder has a 2 blade. The 5 blade prop the blade a re narrow , the 2 blade is wide.

I knew a gal who kept getting boyfriends at places like Jolley Gator and such. She lost 2 in a row to the props on airboats.

How frequent are accidents with those things?

Accidents seem to have risen some in recent years in my opinion. I don't have any figures but it seems like I read about at least one fatality every year now.

Guys used to build their own boats much of the time, but there's a new breed of inexperience out there now that has no problem dropping $80k plus on the latest 800hp rig, who just wants to go tear ass through the woods. A ton of these noobs and pretend gladesmen have joined the community and don't have respect for others, the environment, or that new toy they just bought.

These things are not like a normal boat and I honestly don't think most of the people out there realize how dangerous they are. No reverse, they slide, you have no/less control without throttle, they are relatively easy to sink, roll, or flip if you're horsing around. It's not academics, but you really should develop a feel for the boat in the seat of your pants. In other words, your ass should tell you what's happening with the boat under you.

Much of the time you can be running tight trails with blind turns, or in tall grass. Visibility can be limited so you need to have your head on a swivel and paying attention. Have a plan to bail off a trail if some asshole is trying to run 60 in a winding 8ft wide trail. Too many people don't really know their boat and just think they should be running balls out everywhere they're going instead of using common sense, and slowing down in restricted viz or winding trails. There are also plenty of suicidal nitwits running these same trails in other type of boats with no flag so there is plenty stupidity to go around.

I'm sure pre sail check lists often don't take place among a lot of airboat owners. Nuts and bolts need to be checked. Cracks in metal works need to be looked for. Periodic torque checks on prop blades and hubs. A solid maintenance routine should be adhered to. If anything is not right, the boat shouldn't leave the garage. Airboats are unforgiving and have no mercy when they come apart. Unfortunately, the propeller ALWAYS wins.

Having said this,
most accidents happen because someone in the chain of events is either inexperienced, imprudent, inebriated, inattentive or all of the above.

As bad as it sounds, I wouldn't trade my airboat for any other boat in the world, except maybe a better airboat. It's hands down the best way to see and experience things that are impossible to see otherwise. The best times are when you can pull up to a empty dirt ramp with no other trucks or trailers. You know then that you have the place to yourself. No crowds. A quick and effortless launch and you're off like a shot, gliding over the grass trying to catch the sun before it disappears for the day...