Originally Posted by fdcg27
Originally Posted by Astro14
The decision to fly was the thing that killed them.
The weather was below VFR. Helicopters "scud run" all the time. Very easy to get IFR when you're scud running...and then you run into things like mountains or buildings.
Pressure to fly from a rich owner, overconfidence in one's ability to fly, insufficient training, poor risk assessment.
All of it led to one bad decision: leaving the ground.
Not so much the decision to fly but the decision to try to stay VFR.
The pilot was qualified for IFR and the machine would certainly have been equipped for it.
Why didn't the pilot file IFR in air before he lost visual contact.?
Also, this craft didn't hit anything while flying. It appears to have spiraled into the ground.
Why? Pilot got the leans? He seems to have had too much flight experience for that and should have known to look at the panel and follow it, not the seat of his pants.
There's a lot more to this than a pilot deciding to fly in very marginal visual conditions.
You're making it complicated when it's actually simple:
Flew into IFR conditions.
Got disoriented.
Crashed.
That's about it.
Fog is insidious. IFR rating and IFR ability aren't the same. Knowing and admitting you're in over your head aren't easy.
The LAPD helicopter pilots were grounded that morning by SOP. They've got extensive flight time. But they were bound by the wisdom of their SOP and stayed on the ground.
Originally Posted by Astro14
The decision to fly was the thing that killed them.
The weather was below VFR. Helicopters "scud run" all the time. Very easy to get IFR when you're scud running...and then you run into things like mountains or buildings.
Pressure to fly from a rich owner, overconfidence in one's ability to fly, insufficient training, poor risk assessment.
All of it led to one bad decision: leaving the ground.
Not so much the decision to fly but the decision to try to stay VFR.
The pilot was qualified for IFR and the machine would certainly have been equipped for it.
Why didn't the pilot file IFR in air before he lost visual contact.?
Also, this craft didn't hit anything while flying. It appears to have spiraled into the ground.
Why? Pilot got the leans? He seems to have had too much flight experience for that and should have known to look at the panel and follow it, not the seat of his pants.
There's a lot more to this than a pilot deciding to fly in very marginal visual conditions.
You're making it complicated when it's actually simple:
Flew into IFR conditions.
Got disoriented.
Crashed.
That's about it.
Fog is insidious. IFR rating and IFR ability aren't the same. Knowing and admitting you're in over your head aren't easy.
The LAPD helicopter pilots were grounded that morning by SOP. They've got extensive flight time. But they were bound by the wisdom of their SOP and stayed on the ground.