Originally Posted by
cncpc
The operative presumption was that there are no obstacles at 200 over the sea. Because if there are obstacles, if you presume they are there, and its dark, then you should be higher than any obstacle anywheres near your path. If you are using the radar to look for something you concede might be out there on a simple approach to a fuel area, then you shouldn't be at 200 feet. You are right that the choice of 200 feet is entirely the pilot's. What is in question is how she came to believe that was a safe choice. Because 500 feet was surely a safe choice.
If the SAR helicopter is cruising offshore / in archipelago at 200 ft AGL (9 nm from the landing site) in poor night VMC/IMC wx conditions, there is usually no one warning the crew about e.g. drifting or moving targets. For that reason the pilots should monitor/compare moving map and radar picture all the time
and be prepared to avoid the obstacles on route with a heading change.