Posted on 02/08/2020 6:57:41 AM PST by L.A.Justice
From the article above:
The 50-year-old Zobayan’s most recent flight review included training on inadvertently flying into bad weather conditions. It covered how to recover if the aircraft’s nose is pointed too far up or down and what to do if the helicopter banks severely to one side. He earned satisfactory grades in the review, which took place in May 2019.
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He was instrument rated, but flying into instrument conditions violated corporate policy and their certificate for operation.
So, am inferring that turning at high speed, low visibility is super dangerous for that reason? Centrifugal force makes you think you’re going up, not down?
...
If the turn was coordinated it would have felt like straight and level flight.
In the clouds the only way to know it’s a turn is to look at the instruments.
I flew in helicopters in the Ashau Valley in ‘Nam and understand exactly why this chopper crashed. He flew into the side of a hill that he could not see.
Something tells me this is the end of VFR-only commercial flight services...and I’m astounded they were even permitted in this day.
SUV=Smashed Unrecognizable Vehicle?
Got it. Thanks.
I think the pilot was instrument-rated but had filed for Visual bc he wanted to fly low under the clouds. I bet the fog got really thick right then as they neared the coast; sounds like the pilot got totally disoriented in the fog as well.
If true, that’s damning evidence against the pilot.
That was my impression also.
Some thoughts from an old, crusty, retired Army WO with 34 years of experience flying helos as a military and commercial pilot worldwide up until 2017.
Not throwing rocks, just observations, and very sad to see this happen.
—Possible (in this case probable) flight into Inadvertent Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IIMC) should be included in planning before every flight. The “5 C’s” need to be second nature if IIMC happens.
—Expect spatial disorientation.
—No telling what the passengers were saying/doing while the helo ascended into the clouds (pilot has one more thing to deal with....). I won’t elaborate, but can assure you, they weren’t just sitting there being quiet.
—Two pilots always better than one, especially when flying under instrument rules (comes at a cost...).
—Data recorders (voice, instrument, powertrain, etc.) add immense value to figuring out what happened and when. Also comes at a cost.
—Qualification does not mean proficiency.
—Have the balls to say, “This weather sucks, I’m turning around”. You might be looking for a job when you land, but you and your pax will be alive. (((I did it multiple times, got cursed and yelled at, but never fired))).
He would have been wise to climb as high as he could, way above the usual coastal fog that is always there this time of the year.
Instead, he was down close, trying to fly under the fog, and ran out of space as the terrain came up.
Probably went to climb, and almost had it, doing it right, then took his eyes off the instruments, looking out the windshield, and used his middle ear to navigate rather than his eyes on the attitude indicator.
pilot error, 100%.
happens real fast, in real time, no do overs.
Xactly!
“VRF pilot flying well beyond his capabilities in IFR weather.”
Per the article...”He was certified to fly solely using instruments — a more difficult rating to attain that allows pilots to fly at night and through clouds when the ground isn’t visible...”
I may be misunderstanding what that means because there could be different levels of “certified”, but I think he was IFR rated. Still...he was flying VFR in IFR wx.
Suicidal Utility Vehicle? They leap off roads and into the path of oncoming tractor trailers.
Thanks, I missed that.
If the pilot was flying for pay, he had to have a Commercial license, and to get a Commercial license you have to have an Instrument rating.
Deetz said Zobayan previously had told him that he did not have actual experience flying in clouds, despite being certified.
You practice with a hood until keeping the copter right is 2nd nature. In sudden blind situations your inner ear can get ahead of your eyes on the instruments.
Still...the pilot had never flown in clouds before...IFR rated or not. That doesn’t sound “qualified” to me.
Yeah, but then what?
They were on their way to Camarillo Airport, which is near to the coast. If the inland mountains where obscured by clouds, then Camarillo most certainly would also have been completely covered in marine layer fog.
He might have been able to punch through to clear air above, but would have been trapped on top with nowhere to go but back to SNA.
He was IFR-rated, but the company he worked for was forbidden from operating commercial IFR flights. This is not unusual for this area given that the weather in SoCal is mostly clear. IFR commercial flight insurance is prohibitively expensive, which is why helo charters in SoCal operate VFR-only.
Interesting. I’d read the company was VFR flight only, but didn’t know the insurance angle. Thanks.
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