N5296S
Thanks for pointing out that in the U.S.A. no specific type ratings are needed for a rated helicopter pilot to fly any helicopter below 12,500 lbs MTOW.
Originally Posted by
Hot and Hi
While apparently rated on the R66, neither his TTRW nor his time on type is filled in in the operator's accident report (!).
Then I was mistaken to assume that in the U.S.A. there was the requirement to have a R66 type rating before acting as PIC in this type), like there is in other parts of the world. As the Factual Report didn't mention the lack of the PIC being type-rated, I mistakenly concluded that the PIC "apparently" was type-rated.
In conclusion, the Factual Report only informs that the PIC was a fix-wing ATP with over 8,000 HRS total time, and that he had 10 HRS in the R66 over the past 90 days, 3 HRS thereof during the last 30d.
The Factual Report is silent about the PIC's
- total time on rotor-wing
- total turbine helicopter time
- total time on type R66
- any specific instruction he may have received on the R66
- date of his PPL-H and CPL-H ratings
- prior accidents or incidents, if any
I am confident that the Final Report will focus on exactly these questions.