Etudiant,
If you read back over the thread you will notice I have said several times the Pilot failed to do a straight ahead climb to VFR on Top which in a fully instrumented S-76....a maneuver that should have been very simple but he failed to rise to the occasion.
You will also notice I. have been saying he had a lot of help in failing to be adequately prepared to to do that and that there is plenty of blame to be spread around to a lot of people individually and organizations to include the FAA.
The whole sad affair smacks of complacency and failure to do right resulting in a decent guy killing himself and his passengers.
Box Checking instead of effective training, half assed Checkrides, inadequate SOP's, failed Safety Climate, cozy relationship with third party trainers, and incompetent oversight by the FAA and a general lack of professionalism....harsh wording but well earned.
The NTSB's investigation is so shallow as to be embarrassing.
It raised far more questions than it answered.
Had I given him a Check Ride in the aircraft or the Simulator....I am not sure how it would have turned out as I do not know the fellow and have not flown with him.
Most folks try to fly their current helicopter like they flew their previous aircraft....in this case Ara flew other types of helicopter...most of which probably did not have Autopilots and almost certainly were all VFR Only machines thus no actual instrument flying with his currency and so called proficiency being maintained by some limited training and a check ride at the required intervals mandated by the FAA. We all know...or should know...the difference between being current and proficient and being proficient by being current.....currency does not convey proficiency except for the FAA's Rules and the reality is those rules set folks up for disaster if they do not practice IFR flying.....which requires two pilots....one acting either a Safety Pilot or as an Instructor, vision limiting devices or flight in actual IMC weather.....and Ara was flying in a single pilot operation....how does one get that recent IMC/IFR/Simulated IMC flight time?
JimEli....sometimes what you pay for is not worth squat....beyond checking a few boxes on some FAA required paperwork.