Helicopter Down Chesapeake Bay off Kent Island Maryland

[nomorehelosforme]

https://www.baltimoresun.com/news/ma...504-story.html

Police and Coastguard searching for 2 missing people, apparently a 2 seater helicopter

[PastTense]

The OP's article has been updated:

The bodies of two men were recovered after a helicopter crashed into the Chesapeake Bay, near Bloody Point on the Eastern Shore, after noon Saturday, the Maryland Natural Resources Police said in a statement Sunday morning.Police identified the victims as the pilot, Charles Knight, 38, of Mount Airy, and the passenger, Matt Clarke, 36 of Pasadena. They said the wreckage was found in 55 feet of water about 6 p.m. Saturday and that Natural Resources Police investigators are working with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration investigators to recover the wreckage. Police said autopsies will be conducted.

[nomorehelosforme]

Apparently a Cabri G2

According to reports it was a G2 owned by Monumental Helicopters

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.wus...e-c1c52f8d34f2

[CentralS]

People flying over water very often should have the pop-out floats option.
If the system is armed, it triggers automatically when you touch the water.

https://www.guimbal.com/cabri-g2/con...#miscellaneous

[GrayHorizonsHeli]

a 26000 euro option likely keeps many from buying it. but then you wish you made the investment when you need it

[Robbiee]

Originally Posted by CentralS

People flying over water very often should have the pop-out floats option.
If the system is armed, it triggers automatically when you touch the water.

https://www.guimbal.com/cabri-g2/con...#miscellaneous

No need for anything that fancy. Fixed floats would make me happy enough.

[Flying Bull]

Looking at the sea/sky with the tugboat in front, grey sky over water, some instrument experience, would be handy as well.
Even when it is officially VFR, flying over water has is challenges....

[nocarsgo]

Wow they said the weather wasn't good enough to send out a search helicopter...

https://abcnews.go.com/US/search-mis...ry?id=62824950

[[email protected]]

The weather was very foggy and rainy in the area, though an investigation into the cause of the crash is ongoing.

I think we can probably guess the cause......again!

[wrench1]

The ironic thing, if you want to call it that, is the brother of one of the helicopter guys just happened to be "boating" in the area and witnessed the accident. I think there might be a little more to this story than reported.

[B2N2]

Originally Posted by wrench1

The ironic thing, if you want to call it that, is the brother of one of the helicopter guys just happened to be "boating" in the area and witnessed the accident. I think there might be a little more to this story than reported.

Maybe pictures of the boat?
Couple of low passes?
Is that engine carbureted or fuel injected?
Visible moisture, carb icing?

[evil7]

Carburetor, but automatic carb heating

[wrench1]

IFR, dense fog...
https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/Re...=HTML&IType=FA

[Two's in]

Originally Posted by wrench1

IFR, dense fog...
https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/Re...=HTML&IType=FA

Darwin is alive and well, unlike his acolytes...

[Robbiee]

Originally Posted by wrench1

IFR, dense fog...
https://app.ntsb.gov/pdfgenerator/Re...=HTML&IType=FA

I don't get it. He filed a flight plan in IFR conditions in a VFR only helicopter? He was able to takeoff in the middle of the day from a flight school (where someone most likely handed him the keys) !?

I mean, when I rent its after hours so there's no one at the school to say, "hey, maybe you shouldn't fly in this weather?"

This is a real strange one!

[Hot and Hi]

Originally Posted by Robbiee

I don't get it. He filed a flight plan in IFR conditions in a VFR only helicopter

The preliminary report doesn’t say this. Conditions were VFR (400 ft ceiling, viz 3 Nm) but below VMC minima. Usually „ops normal“ for helicopters. But as he was within a control zone, he had to request Special VFR clearance.

Problem maybe was more lack of depth perception over water combined with very low hours (just 100 HR TTRW).

In any case, his flight over water out of gliding distance from shore was probably illegal in the first place.

[Robbiee]

Originally Posted by Hot and Hi

The preliminary report doesn’t say this. Conditions were VFR (400 ft ceiling, viz 3 Nm) but below VMC minima. Usually „ops normal“ for helicopters. But as he was within a control zone, he had to request Special VFR clearance.

Problem maybe was more lack of depth perception over water combined with very low hours)just 100 HR TTRW).

In any case, his flight over water out of gliding distance from shore was probably illegal in the first place.

400/3 might be normal for commercial ops, but not private pilot joyriding! I can't imagine a school letting a private pilot (let alone one with only a hundred or so hours) take out their helicopters in that!

I do believe "beyond glide distace from the shore" is just the requirement for carrying a life jacket and flare and its only if the flight was "for hire".

[SASless]

Had he stayed over land....or right along the shoreline....thus having good visible cues or at least the cues to realize he would be losing those cues....perhaps this might have been avoided.

A local flight in 400/3 conditions is not all that risky....for an experienced pilot.

[Spunk]

I disagree: 3 miles of ground visibility equals @ 1,5 miles of flight visibility. This paired with a ceiling of 400 ft over water is pretty risky and challenging for any „VFR only“ pilot.

[nomorehelosforme]

No mention of a previous post that suggests a close relative of someone in the aircraft happened to be out in a boat in close proximity to the accident?

I have seen boats and helicopters ‘ playing games’ overwater on 2 occasions... it never looked pretty