Flight Preparation
On the day of the accident, the student pilot received a weather briefing about 2 hours prior to departure. He was advised that instrument meteorological conditions (IMC) existed and were forecast along a portion of his planned route, and that these conditions were forecast to improve. The student then telephoned his certified flight instructor (CFI) to discuss the briefing. According to the CFI, the student did not advise that weather conditions in certain locations were below the limits established for his flying or that IMC existed. Without independently verifying the weather forecast, the CFI authorized the flight. The student took off at his planned departure time on a northerly course paralleling the coastline.
The Flight
After about 9 minutes of flight, at 1009:03, the student pilot stated to a local air traffic controller, "I'm in a little trouble" and "I'm gonna start climbing to get out of clouds." The northbound student commenced a left turn while flying over the ocean, positioning the helicopter farther offshore. At 1009:45, he said, "I need to get out of the clouds visibility is really bad out here." At 1009:50, the controller responded, "if you would like to go (inland) to the I-5 (interstate freeway) and follow north that's approved." The pilot's last recorded transmission at 1010:00 was, "Roger I'm gonna start climbing." Recorded radar data indicated the pilot climbed from 200 to 600 feet, whereupon the radar track ended upon completion of a left 360-degree turn. The helicopter wreckage was located 0.3 miles from its last radar position, about 0.5 miles offshore.
Post-Accident Findings
An FAA aviation safety inspector near the shoreline reported observing fog along the coast with visibility about 1/8-mile. The CFI later acknowledged to the Safety Board investigator that he had not independently ascertained the weather, relying instead on what the student told him when authorizing the flight. The CFI reported that had he known the actual weather conditions, he would not have authorized the flight. The FAA requires that before authorizing a student's solo cross-country flight, the CFI must review current and forecast weather conditions and determine that the flight can be completed under visual flight rules (VFR).