Originally Posted by
Woolf
..I think the main point here is that regardless of whether a published procedure is followed or not, any low-level flight over water in IMC, at night or in marginal conditions MUST use the radar as the PRIMARY navigation aid..
Agreed. And an operational radar should not be an MEL item for this role. And thorough training should be provided in its use, both initially, and recurrently. There is a good Honeywell training video on the use of weather radar, that should be mandatory viewing for any pilot who uses a radar.
Again, in the simulator we can throw in any sort of weather conditions. The number of pilots I've seen fumble with the weather radar and just blast through dangerous weather suggests its proper use is not widely understood or practised.
If nothing else on that helicopter worked for them, that radar should have been able to save the day for them.