“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.
Thanks, I missed that.
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.