Originally Posted by
VH-XXX
Can't see that there would have been a car headlight on the *island* that they took off from!
I forgot how precise one must be when posting to appease the experts here: my comment on car headlights was to indicate a suitable amount of light for a night helicopter departure, not that there was a car present.
Originally Posted by havick
The category type is irrelevant in this accident, as the aircraft was a twin (which I mentioned in a subsequent post anyway). It originally slipped my mind the the aircraft was an AS355, if it were an AS350 then there would've been a few factors that come into play WRT category type.
Again, a lack of knowledge of helicopter ops is apparent here. The twin/single is only a factor in NVFR Charter, on top of which the pilot
must be Instrument Rated and current for a charter op. Gary was not Instrument Rated.
Yes, Gary's company paid the contract pilots on ABC TV ops. The likelihood is that it was an Aerial Work operation, but (another red herring) as a privately owned helicopter flying for the owner it could have legally been a private flight if it was a positioning flight from one area to another. We have only supposition and speculation here (and elsewhere) that aerial filming may or may not have been planned after departure. Equally likely is the possibility of a bird strike, especially as the preliminary report indicates a ground impact attitude on the pilot's side of the aircraft with extreme angle of bank.
It is not at all unusual for a heavy bird to penetrate the screen on a helicopter and incapacitate the pilot. Plenty of examples over on Rotorheads.