Originally Posted by
Airbubba
Some quotes that struck me as pertinent (emphasis mine):
"
The SCT controller then asked the pilot his intentions, to which he replied he was climbing to 4,000 feet. There were no further transmissions"
"
The helicopter was equipped with a four-axis automatic flight control system, electronic flight instrument system, radio altimeter, and ADS-B transponder. It was also equipped with a flight management system (FMS)." ... "All inspections were up to date."
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According to FAA records, the pilot held an FAA commercial certificate with ratings for helicopter and instrument helicopter, as well as an FAA instructor certificate for flight, instrument, and ground instruction.His most recent FAA second-class medical certificate was issued on July 3, 2019, with a limitation stating, “must have glasses for near vision.” At the time of his last medical application, he reported 8,200 total hours of flight experience. The pilot logged about 1,250 total hours in the S76 helicopter. His most recent flight review, including proficiency training in inadvertent entry into instrument meteorological conditions (IIMC) and unusual attitude recovery, was conducted in a helicopter with EUROSAFETY International on May 8, 2019. The pilot received satisfactory grades for these maneuvers."
I don't know what this means for the pilot's IFR currency.
They are showing some evidence that there was an unbroken cloud layer above the Van Nuys area from 1900 to 2400ft MSL.
They also found a large rotor blade segment 50 feet from the hub, and the hub was 60 feet beyond the fuselage and engines. This suggests to me that the pile of blade segments we discussed consisted mainly of 3 blades; since each blade has two red stripes, that matches.