Controlled flight into terrain.
VRF pilot flying well beyond his capabilities in IFR weather.
His helicopter departed the atmosphere and impacted the planet Earth. Maybe it wanted to be an SUV.
“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.