What happened
A helicopter departed from a fishing vessel to perform tuna spotting operations. Approximately 1 1/2 hours after takeoff, the aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances. At the time of the accident, the helicopter was positioned about 30 miles away from the ship. The pilot had maintained routine radio contact with the ship's captain approximately 10 minutes prior to the crash, and no emergency communications were received by the vessel.
The ship's crew recovered only the engine, pieces of the airframe, and the helicopter's floats. The captain reported that the sea conditions at the accident site were flat and clear, with no birds or fish observed in the area. The pilot, who also served as the aircraft mechanic, had been stationed on the vessel since August 25, 1999, and had completed approximately 4 hours of flight time.
The investigation
The investigation examined the aircraft's fuel and engine condition. The operator estimated that there were approximately 64 gallons of fuel on board at departure. Analysis of fuel samples revealed no debris or contamination. The engine showed no evidence of preimpact damage and appeared to have been rotating at the time of impact.