What happened
The flight was being conducted to transport personnel to an offshore oil platform. The pilot had been checked out for these specific offshore operations the day prior to the accident. During the approach, the pilot stated that visibility above 500 feet was poor and he maintained an altitude of 500 feet to stay below a stratus layer. Once over the water, the only visible horizon was the platforms. The helicopter contacted the water and rolled over 1 1/2 miles off shore. The life raft was secured to the chin bubble and was lost when the bubble separated during impact.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the circumstances of the flight and the condition of the aircraft post-impact. It was determined that the pilot had received recent training for offshore operations. The primary finding related to the loss of the life raft due to structural separation of the chin bubble upon water impact.
Findings
Contributing factors included poor visibility below a stratus layer and reliance on the platforms as the only visual reference. The pilot's decision to maintain 500 feet in these conditions led to the accident. The life raft was lost during the incident due to the separation of the chin bubble.
Safety message
Pilots operating offshore should be aware that maintaining altitude below cloud layers can result in loss of visual reference to the horizon, increasing the risk of controlled flight into terrain.