What happened
An aircraft disappeared while performing a revenue flight traveling from one offshore platform to another. During the flight, there were no radio communications received to indicate that the crew had encountered any difficulties.
Following an air search, wreckage and two of the three bodies were located approximately two miles from the departure platform. The weather conditions at the time involved light rain and fog, with visibility between 1 and 1.5 miles and indefinite ceilings ranging from 200 to 400 feet. Prior to the flight, the instrument-rated pilot had informed the crew chief that he would return to the departure platform if the weather conditions deteriorated further.
The investigation
Investigators examined recovered wreckage and determined that the aircraft had impacted the water at a high rate of speed in an uncontrolled attitude. However, because none of the instrumentation or the drive train was recovered, the limited amount of available debris prevented a definitive determination regarding the specific nature of the accident.