Molokai R44 Crash

[r22butters]

Over the ocean, between islands, at night, in an R44,...even on a clear night it just doesn't sound like a good idea!?

 

 

http://m.hawaiinewsnow.com/hawaiinewsnow/db_330510/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=cRNaqW01

[TomPPL]

The weather didn't sound too good for this kind of flight:

Fouts said the two men left Honolulu about 6 p.m. Monday for a training flight to Molokai, and were supposed to return by 8 or 8:30 p.m.

There was no mayday call, according to Mauna Loa Helicopters.

"It's just so sad, but bad weather and nighttime, that's often a formula, a recipe for tragedies," said John Corboy, a Molokai pilot who owns a Robinson R-44. "I understand there was a lull maybe at 6 o'clock when they took off, but pretty soon it was gusting back up," he said.

Fouts said the flight school's standard policy is not to allow students to fly in winds above 25 knots, which is roughly 29 miles per hour.

The Coast Guard said that crews searching for the helicopter on Monday night dealt with 30 mph winds and 12 to 15-foot seas.

On Tuesday, rescue crews were working in less than ideal conditions, with 25 mph winds and 15-foot seas.