When approaching a rig in night VMC the final approach provides plenty of visual cues to a reasonably experienced offshore pilot. Normally this terminates in a safe landing and for some pilots this will be the case for majority of their careers (when vmc). However, a go-around from a platform in VMC, where the immediate go-around area has no other lit objects to provide visual clues, or worse, an array of confusing objects at distance, it is very very easy to become disorientated and things happen quickly thereafter.
To my knowledge there have been at least 2 AC touchdowns into the water that have survived by rapidly apply pitch both attributable to disorientation in reasonable VMC but possibly confusing visual cues out of the windows.
Most offshore pilots who are regularly engaged in IFR operations, rig radar approaches etc, would normally immediatley convert to instruments should a go-around occur, vmc or otherwise as the dangers of not doing so are ussually experienced in the safety of a flight simulator. This critical conversion is not easy and requires the pilot to be skilled and practised and fully comfortable with what the instruments are telling him. At such a satge in flight the seat of the pants is as much use as a chocolate fireguard!
If it is proven beyond reasonable doubt that this was a disorientation followed by a failure to recover to controlled climbing flight then my deep conviction is that such events become less likely if both crews have experienced the event in the simulator beforehand and recieve regular recurrent training in the sim to re-inforce these critical periods of flight.
Without simulator training some offshore pilots may NEVER EVER experience a go-around in night VMC where they are required to establish quickly on the panel.
It has happended to me twice and both events left me feeling less secure in my own abilities to complete this manouvre with the ease that I would normally expect from myself. It is a VERY demanding manouvre and I have been a regular sim visitor for the past 10 years.
A go-around form a rig radar is very different from a VMC event as the HP remains handling and is on instruments throughout the procedure.
This unfortunate event and it resulting tragedy may finally be what it will take for the Authorities to mandate sim training for all offshore flight crews and give us all a reasonable chance of practising these critical flight conditions so that safety is assurred when the unexpected happens.
You can bet you bottom $ that the Authorities read these pages so lets hear from anyone else who has struggled with a Night VMC approach and go-around!! I strongly suspect there are a lot of us out there!!