Overview
A helicopter departed on a night cross-country flight with the owner/pilot and a sole passenger aboard, en route to a remote cabin situated on a lakeshore. When the aircraft failed to return the following day, a search was initiated. The helicopter was subsequently discovered floating inverted in the lake near the intended cabin. The pilot's handheld GPS, recovered from the lake surface, provided flight data including date, time, position, groundspeed, heading, and altitude.
Flight Details
According to the GPS record, the flight departed at 1940, approximately nine minutes before official sunset. The route initially followed several coastal canals before turning inland toward the lake. The lake's surface elevation is about 390 feet msl. To clear terrain, the helicopter climbed to 1,268 feet msl, then descended toward the lake. The ground track indicates the helicopter followed the north shore, descending to about 35 feet above lake level near the destination cabin. After maneuvering in that area for several minutes, the helicopter reversed course. Following the reversal, groundspeed and altitude increased until the helicopter reached approximately 170 feet above lake level with a groundspeed of about 15 mph. Seventeen seconds later, at 2025, the track ended, corresponding to a steep and rapid descent. The final recorded elevation was consistent with the lake surface.
Weather Conditions
The accident site is located in an area surrounded by hills and mountain ridges, classified as a rainforest experiencing higher-than-normal rainfall. Area weather forecasts before and after the accident indicated scattered to broken cloud layers as low as 1,000 to 1,500 feet agl, with mountaintops and ridges occasionally obscured by clouds, and overcast layers as low as 2,500 feet agl. Visibility was generally greater than 3 miles, with reports of marginal VFR conditions and rain showers in some locations. An FAA inspector who was in the general vicinity at the time of departure noted that the night was very dark due to low clouds and precipitation.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with a rotorcraft rating and a flight instructor certificate for rotorcraft. FAA records show the pilot had accumulated approximately 838 total flying hours, of which 791 were in rotorcraft. The pilot was not instrument rated.
Accident Site and Wreckage
An inspection of the helicopter found no evidence of preimpact mechanical anomalies.