Flight Details
On February 14, 1995, at 1445 CST, a helicopter departed from an offshore platform in the Gulf of Mexico for a flight to Intercoastal City, Louisiana. During the flight, the pilot made several position reports, with the last position reported as 32 miles south of Intercoastal City. At 1534, the pilot transmitted a series of mayday calls indicating inadvertent flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC). The helicopter was not certificated for flight in IMC.
Weather Conditions
Low ceilings and fog prevailed along the Gulf of Mexico at the time of the accident. Before the helicopter's departure, other company pilots advised the accident pilot that weather conditions were deteriorating, ranging from company minimums (500-foot ceiling and 3 miles visibility) to obscured skies with visibility less than 2 miles in fog. The accident pilot acknowledged that weather on the platform was deteriorating and that he was departing.
Pilot Background
On November 18, 1994, the pilot had satisfactorily completed a VFR-only flight check, including emergency vertical helicopter instrument recovery procedures. Company records indicated he had 0.20 hours of instrument hood time during the previous 6 months.
Search and Recovery
When the helicopter did not arrive at its destination, a search was initiated. Search and rescue efforts were hampered until February 19, 1995, by fog and IFR ceilings. Pieces of the helicopter were found with indications that it had impacted the water. The bodies of four occupants were recovered, but one occupant was not found and was presumed to have been fatally injured.