What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Encountered brown out over gulf due weather. Made slow 180 turn. Settled with power. Lost tail effect. Impacted water (-23) the airline transport rated pilot in command stated they departed an unmanned offshore platform approximately 11 miles offshore at approximately noon o 03/04/97. He did not have communication with anyone so he could not get weather information. His judgement was that the weather was at least the company required minimum. Once airborne, he was able to contact the air logistics base at Galveston, Texas. They reported that Galveston was fogged in. The pilot stated he thought he had enough ceiling and visibility to make it to shore so he headed directly to the shoreline. He intended to follow the shoreline to Galveston and get a special VFR clearance to land at Galveston or worst case he could land on the beach and wait for the weather to improve. They flew out from under an overcast into an area where the sun was shining through the clouds and he began to lose visual reference. He stated he reduced power to slow down, then began a right hand turn with the intent to return to the platform. He stated he felt the aircraft shudder and realized he was getting too slow so he added power and the aircraft began to spin to the right. He reduced power to stop the spin but the spin did not stop. The aircraft kept descending toward the water so the pilot attempted to deploy the floats and land on the water. He almost got the spin stopped and thought he was about to achieve a stable hover just above the water. He was unsuccessful in deploying the floats and the aircraft began to spin right again and then rolled and impacted the water. The pilot's description of the event indicates settling with power accompanied by loss of tail rotor effectiveness. The pilot reported he attempted to dive down and activate the floats on the aircraft after it sank but was unsuccessful. A passenger, who was a strong swimmer and a diver, dived down and retrieved the life raft from the aircraft. They all had their life vests and they inflated the raft and navigated the two or three miles to shore by pulling in the sea anchor and allowing the south wind to drift them to the beach.
As the FAA filed it
ENCOUNTERED BROWN OUT OVER GULF DUE WEATHER. MADE SLOW 180 TURN. SETTLED WITH POWER.LOST TAIL EFFECT.IMPACTED WATER (-23) THE AIRLINE TRANSPORT RATED PILOT IN COMMAND STATED THEY DEPARTED AN UNMANNED OFFSHORE PLATFORM APPROXIMATELY 11 MILES OFFSHORE AT APPROXIMATELY NOON O 03/04/97. HE DID NOT HAVE COMMUNICATION WITH ANYONE SO HE COULD NOT GET WEATHER INFORMATION. HIS JUDGEMENT WAS THAT THE WEATHER WAS AT LEAST THE COMPANY REQUIRED MINIMUM. ONCE AIRBORNE, HE WAS ABLE TO CONTACT THE AIR LOGISTICS BASE AT GALVESTON, TEXAS. THEY REPORTED THAT GALVESTON WAS FOGGED IN. THE PILOT STATED HE THOUGHT HE HAD ENOUGH CEILING AND VISIBILITY TO MAKE IT TO SHORE SO HE HEADED DIRECTLY TO THE SHORELINE. HE INTENDED TO FOLLOW THE SHORELINE TO GALVESTON AND GET A SPECIAL VFR CLEARANCE TO LAND AT GALVESTON OR WORST CASE HE COULD LAND ON THE BEACH AND WAIT FOR THE WEATHER TO IMPROVE. THEY FLEW OUT FROM UNDER AN OVERCAST INTO AN AREA WHERE THE SUN WAS SHINING THROUGH THE CLOUDS AND HE BEGAN TO LOSE VISUAL REFERENCE. HE STATED HE REDUCED POWER TO SLOW DOWN, THEN BEGAN A RIGHT HAND TURN WITH THE INTENT TO RETURN TO THE PLATFORM. HE STATED HE FELT THE AIRCRAFT SHUDDER AND REALIZED HE WAS GETTING TOO SLOW SO HE ADDED POWER AND THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SPIN TO THE RIGHT. HE REDUCED POWER TO STOP THE SPIN BUT THE SPIN DID NOT STOP. THE AIRCRAFT KEPT DESCENDING TOWARD THE WATER SO THE PILOT ATTEMPTED TO DEPLOY THE FLOATS AND LAND ON THE WATER. HE ALMOST GOT THE SPIN STOPPED AND THOUGHT HE WAS ABOUT TO ACHIEVE A STABLE HOVER JUST ABOVE THE WATER. HE WAS UNSUCCESSFUL IN DEPLOYING THE FLOATS AND THE AIRCRAFT BEGAN TO SPIN RIGHT AGAIN AND THEN ROLLED AND IMPACTED THE WATER. THE PILOT'S DESCRIPTION OF THE EVENT INDICATES SETTLING WITH POWER ACCOMPANIED BY LOSS OF TAIL ROTOR EFFECTIVENESS. THE PILOT REPORTED HE ATTEMPTED TO DIVE DOWN AND ACTIVATE THE FLOATS ON THE AIRCRAFT AFTER IT SANK BUT WAS UNSUCCESSFUL. A PASSENGER, WHO WAS A STRONG SWIMMER AND A DIVER, DIVED DOWN AND RETRIEVED THE LIFE RAFT FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THEY ALL HAD THEIR LIFE VESTS AND THEY INFLATED THE RAFT AND NAVIGATED THE TWO OR THREE MILES TO SHORE BY PULLING IN THE SEA ANCHOR AND ALLOWING THE SOUTH WIND TO DRIFT THEM TO THE BEACH.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.