What happened
The pilot was operating a helicopter in close proximity to a sailboat, performing a climbing right turn to establish an aerial platform for a movie film crew. The operation took place approximately 100 feet above the water surface, with the aircraft positioned just a few feet from the sailboat's mast. During this maneuver, the helicopter began to spin to the right.
The pilot noted that the aircraft was downwind relative to the wind direction at the time of the incident. In an attempt to arrest the rotation, the pilot reduced the collective pitch. While this action successfully stopped the spin, it resulted in a loss of altitude and control authority. Consequently, the pilot was unable to regain control before the helicopter struck the ocean surface and sank.
The investigation
The available source material does not provide specific details regarding mechanical examinations or post-accident recovery findings beyond the immediate sequence of events described by the pilot.