Pilot Flies Helicopter Into Clouds

R44 being deliberately flown into clouds illegally. This pilot is demonstrating exactly what not to do in this type of helicopter, which is rated for VFR only. His terrible decision making and risk taking ended up costing him his life a couple years after he made this video, when he deliberately flew an R66 into IMC and lost control. He ended up killing the two people onboard the helicopter with him.

[@janedredding8870]

Why fly into IMC in a chopper?? Were you on the way to a wedding??

[@ianrkav]

Brazil?

[@cool2180]

lmao

[@MelonHead1848]

looks like the exact same helicopter also

[@TheJamesmcdiarmid]

No, he was on the way to his own funeral

[@Flintlock1776]

The lesson here is not that a Robinson can be flown in IIMC conditions, contrary to the POH, but that arrogance kills. In fact, it killed this guy and his two passengers when he took off in a flight of three from Sebetta to Bely Island. The other two turned back due to IIMC weather conditions. He didn't and he crashed. Might of been a great guy who did a lot for Russian General Aviation but perhaps the best we can salvage from his legacy is a cautionary tale of what not to do.

[@trevorblackbirdguitar9952]

Wait, the guy in this video? How do you know?

[@Flintlock1776]

He was relatively well known in the helo community. I read an article about the incident a while back but can't recall the reference off hand. Basically a very similar situation as the recent Kobe Bryant crash. If I can find the article I'll post it here. Cheers.

[@Flintlock1776]

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Farikh Couldn't find the actual article I read but here's his Wiki page.

[@robertgary3561]

Not legally but physically yes it can

[@SkyBaum]

@ the 2018 Robinson Safety Course, Kurt Robinson literally said "if you zero out in a Robinson product there's a very high likelyhood it will be fatal". #SkyBaum

[@leeryan1969]

As a helicopter pilot I found myself in a thick bank of cloud and descended immediately, almost at VNE to be clear of it. This pilot would likely never die in cloud but still it is a foolhardy thing to do. More foolhardy, believe it or not is to operate a helicopter in it's avoid curve by continuously flying at low level, leaving the pilot with very little time to react in the event of an engine failure. I once had a total flame-out in a Bell 206 Jetranger whilst at 1500ft above ground level, and let me tell you, it didn't take very long before I was on the ground, perhaps only 35 seconds!

[@btheffner]

Except he did die in adverse weather so there’s that.

[@therealmccoy2004]

So basically your flying with your eyes closed.. this is what happened with kobe

[@Mike-01234]

Robinson has basic instruments can fly off of in IMC as long as you maintain enough forward speed its not different then flying an airplane. What happend with Kobe's pilot is he was fly very slowly got into IMC and turned 180 climbed slowed below 30 knots and lost control. Eye witness report hearing rotor hitting the ground first which indicated upset attitude. That is why the high speed impact some claim CFIT (Controlled flight into Terrain) I'm not buying that. His decent rate was 4000FPM and forward speed 170 knots? No way this was controlled. You can't fly a helicopter below 30 knots in IMC your almost hovering it no way to know which way your moving in IMC with out being able to see the horizon.

[@BerserkerGuts_]

blastman8888 that’s exactly what I was thinking too. There is no way he was in control at the time of the fall. Probably spiraled out of control.

[@jeromecrockett2311]

Air plane is even difficult to fly in fog.. the go was turning in circles because he was llost.. you don't fly in circles unless your scared to drive forward

[@bbigjohnson069]

@@Mike-01234 Your statement about him turning 180 and climbing below 30 knots is false. I have the ADS-B data and in the last minute he was never below 110 mph (95 knots) when he was climbing or initiating the turn. He had flown into the fog said he was climbing to 4000ft. The top of the fog was 2400ft. But he only went to about 2200ft.-2300ft.before descending and turning as he became disoriented from losing visual reference. Over the last 20 secs. flew erratically up, down, right, left before a final turn and descent. Witness said it rolled left and crashed 50 ft. below him.

[@falkomatzler271]

Very impressive with partial panel.

[@danteishbak1806]

A clear example of what you should never do.

[@yankeledpilot3191]

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mikhail_Farikh He was a famous pilot in russia as someone pointed out. But he also died in similar conditions as seen above. ...IAC board's report it states that “the most probable cause of the R66 RA-06233 helicopter’s crash was the PIC’s loss of flight altitude control during the attempt to establish visual contact with terrain under weather conditions that did not comply with VFR and the pilot’s experience level, which led to the aircraft’s collision with the icy surface of the Kara Sea”.[67]

[@naughtyUphillboy]

he collided in vertical down flight

[@goapeshit1424]

The mustache kept him alive

[@Fred757]

Didn't keep him alive forever. This guy was killed a couple years back doing this exact thing. Took someone with him too.

[@paulward4268]

I'm sorry, but this was far too serious to joke about.

[@unapologetic7900]

In the US, this Video would (or should) have ended his flying career. ( As I understand, he ended it 2 years later, killing 2 passengers) 1) Flying IMC without a Clearance. 2) Flying IMC in a non-certified/non-equiped Aircraft. (unknown if he was Instrument rated) 3) Reckless operation Just to name a few violations. The vast majority of Helicopter fatalities are due to poor judgment and Pilot error. This is a perfect example of poor judgement (on Steroids). Yet the general public's perception is that Helicopters are dangerous.

[@struvrim7637]

his flying career by crash

[@shepheardadi4329]

There are old pilots and bold pilots....but there are no old bold pilots.....

[@Sloth55Chunk]

I remember a speaker at the Robinson safety course talking about a friend of his that died in Russia after flying into IMC. I wonder if it was this guy

[@jessemagruder7812]

it was

[@ramjet4025]

Ah yes, this is exactly who Tim Tucker was talking about

[@Sloth55Chunk]

@@ramjet4025 It wasnt Tim. It was Bob something. Humes? Hughes? Something like that

[@ramjet4025]

@@Sloth55Chunk Tim knew both these Russians and visited them in Russia. I'm sure that everyone at Robinson would have known both of them.

[@markhangen6990]

ya. heard the same speech when i went to factory training at RH. One descended in IMC to find the ground while others hovered above. The second a few months later was at a mountain resort with approach storm. Departed at night i believe into IMC at his wife’s insistence. Just nuckin futz. I am an IMC helo pilot and an ATP fixed wing pilot. RH has not taught it’s helicopters to know they are IMC. They will fly fine in IMC. Problem is the FAA makes it impossible to get actual IMC at affordable rates. Guys kill thensleves because they have zero actual IMC. Kobe’s pilot included.

[@CareyWiley]

Arrogant. He died doing this. Hobbies aren't IFR rated. He had zero business doing any of this.

[@Anita95_original]

Arrogance kills. This is a perfect example of the Dunning-Kruger effect. It is possible to be dumb enough to not understand what you do not know about. To willingly create this situation can only be done by someone who actually believes it is possible to do it. And that can only be done by someone dumb enough to believe in his own superior "feel" of the machine. Arrogance kills, sooner or later. In Mikhail Farikhs case it took two more years. The most sad thing is that he did not die alone.

[@ramjet4025]

Actually the Russian pilot who did this was a highly competent IFR Helicopter pilot but, then killed himself and others in deliberate IFR in an R66 RA-06233. This particular pilot and this particular flight had all the red flags of an accident going to happen. A tragic loss of life and the posting of this video is promoting stupidity.

[@Anita95_original]

@@ramjet4025 I stand corrected as to his knowledge and competence, but his arrogance killed him. The video should stay public, as a warning to any and all who think they have mastered everything... The true pilot is never ever fully learned and should always be self-critical and evaluate what one can do better... A never ending school of life. Thanks for your comment.

[@ramjet4025]

@@Anita95_original Dunning-Kruger is about two scenarios, and for SBT, the 1st is low ability thinking they have high ability and others, tending to assume that someone of high ability is low ability. Take the airshow pilot, many would say its dangerous but not the world of airshow pilots. In the helicopter world, Single Pilot IFR is becoming the norm in the USA Air Ambulance world and the industry thinks its a safe practice. Reality is that two pilots is always safer and the industry puts cost ahead of safety. As we become "fully learned", we become more dangerous and less able to see that danger.

[@csoehlig]

Hello, I'm from the FAA. Do you have a moment, sir?

[@SkyBaum]

What FSDO? #SkyBaum

[@zenersmytok3619]

What was the point of him deliberately flying into cloud ?. It goes completely against the grain of what all helicopter pilots are taught. Did he think that he was in some way clever ?. Not from where I am sitting he isn't. I personally know of three pilots that crashed helicopters because they thought that they could fly in bad weather. There are old pilots and bold pilots, but there are no old bold pilots.

[@JohnDoe-qe4ko]

that guy in the video has grey hair

[@jimmymc10021]

@@JohnDoe-qe4ko He's dead now though. Crashed in bad weather

[@dustin8053]

This crater will soon find his gridsquare

[@cyrus8020]

As a commercial helicopter/airplane pilot with over 10,000 flight hours, I'm not impressed at all. This is just showing how ignorant and unprofessional you are. Sad that he killed two people who trusted he knew what he was doing. This guy had a total lack of respect for the ability of weather and a machine that can kill if not operated correctly.

[@rynoferrous]

Probably difference between this and the incident that killed this pilot and his passengers (and most VFR into IMC fatalities) is that in this case it appears that visual contact with the ground was maintained the entire time.

[@factorypilot99]

It looks to me like he was in Full IMC, but in the video he knew he would regain visual contact of the ground well before hitting it. In the accident he did not

[@micaelturberg5916]

Death during the “Searching for the Two Captains” expedition Mikhail Farikh died on April 18, 2016[60] during the second helicopter expedition in search of the Svyataya Anna gunvessel. The fatal crash occurred at 22:06 local time (17:06 UTC) at 73°19′40″N 69°59′37″E Oleg Prodan, polar explorer and director of the Onezhskoye Pomorye National Park, and Alexei Frolov, founder and owner of the Mirital company, died along with him.[61][62][63] All three men held private pilot licenses with the helicopter pilot entry.[64][65] A group of three Robinson R66 helicopters participating in the “Searching for the Two Captains” expedition was flying along the route from Amderma Airport to the landing site on Bely Island in the Kara Sea. While they were approaching the island, thick, low cloud cover formed. The crew of the formation leader decided to descend into the clouds to determine their lower boundary and see if it was possible to land. While carrying out this mission, the helicopter crashed to the ground.[66] The IAC board's report it states that “the most probable cause of the R66 RA-06233 helicopter’s crash was the PIC’s loss of flight altitude control during the attempt to establish visual contact with terrain under weather conditions that did not comply with VFR and the pilot’s experience level, which led to the aircraft’s collision with the icy surface of the Kara Sea”.[66] A large crowd paid its last respects to the deceased crew in the memorial hall of the Troyekurovskoye Cemetery on April 24, 2016. Mikhail Farikh is buried at the Novodevichy Cemetery in Moscow, Alexei Frolov is buried at the Zvyaginskoe cemetery (Moscow region), while Oleg Prodan was buried in at his birthplace in Rybinsk, along with his parents.[67]

[@sbdreamin]

that's nuts. why cover the attitude indicator??

[@herobo123456]

Emm because hes a twat thats now sleeping with the fishes

[@mayday2011]

What is the point of covering attitude indicator and others in IFR flight? Wtf

[@igclapp]

You would do that if the instrument was malfunctioning or if you were training to fly partial panel.

[@bartoszch5522]

Robinson in imc is very very risky, especially if you meet towering cumulus mixed with other clouds due to construction of mast

[@mkusch2337]

... and now he's dead. What did we learn? Don't fly your helicopter into the clouds.

[@robertgary3561]

I’ve been an instrument instructor for two decades but I’m not sure what he’s trying to prove. Cover up every source of attitude and try to fly an inherently unstable aircraft in imc?

[@nastysoda9212]

Just stupid people doing stupid shit. Cause of most helicopter fatalities.

[@paulward4268]

Indeed - No idea what the point of this was.. The only qualities on show here were monumental arrogance, and irresponsibility.

[@Paolo-qe7lc]

Is the guy that later died from a pilot error crash?

[@helicopterin]

Yes, specifically from flying into adverse weather...go figure

[@Paolo-qe7lc]

Common sense is hard to find anymore lol

[@SickTwistedFrq]

Maybe he thought common sense was a few feet higher..

[@kmetofficial5800]

I strongly believe these guys just leave it to chance because wtf bro

[@herobo123456]

Hes in a PANIC to remove the attitude indicator cover RIP u fool

[@RikimaruNobunaga]

could you offer an opinion as to why a helicopter, going suddenly from vfr to imc conditions, may bank and lose altitude very fast?

[@Flintlock1776]

Without visual reference your body misinterprets its position relative to the earth. A pilot might feel like he is straight and level when he is actually in a steep bank or vice versa. The aircraft instruments (barring failures) tell the true story so it's imperative to believe them rather than what you are physically "feeling." This can happen in many different environments, not just IIMC. It can occur over glassy water, at night in the desert, etc; anywhere visual contrast and horizon are lost. It's called spacial disorientation. The procedure for entering inadvertent IIMC conditions is generally the same in all helicopters...Focus on the instruments and address Attitude, Heading, Torque, Trim, and Airspeed. Execute a climb to a predetermined, safe altitude and contact ATC for help. Another way to say that is control, climb, course, communicate (communicate meaning contact ATC and get instrument vectors to an instrument approach). It appears he was qualified and experienced enough to do that. In this case, my suspicion (pending official investigation) is that he was trying to climb to avoid a fog bank, punched into clouds, and rather than commit to the emergency situation he tried to do a 180 degree left turn to get back to VMC conditions. He might have been looking out the window, trying to regain visual with the ground, going back and forth between the instruments and the outside, or he might have been looking at and misinterpreting his instruments the whole time. We may never know but the result is the same either way. I'm not judging him and I wasn't there. This kind of thing can (and has) happen to the best pilots among us. Just my assessment based on the tapes, flight track, and having flown that exact route multiple times. The people who investigate these things are quite good at what they do and I'm sure they'll figure it out. A bit long but I hope that helps.

[@landen99]

@@Flintlock1776 Why not just fly by your instruments?

[@unapologetic7900]

It's called "Spacial Disorientation", and a failure to transition to Instrument flying quickly. 99.9% of Helicopter flying is looking out the Windows (Visual reference), and very few Helicopter Pilots are proficient at IIMC. What you asked has absolutely nothing to do with the Machine, it's all on the Pilot.

[@godfreytomlinson2282]

How was he able to maintain control in IMC without an artificial horizon? He must have still been able to see something right?

[@nastysoda9212]

It was a short period of time and he was geting small glimpses of the ground. It's a pointless video and an idiot pilot.

[@igclapp]

He probably still had one gyro: the turn coordinator. That's enough to fly partial panel with other non-gyro instruments.

[@arkansasaviation5299]

Robinson needs to build a IFR ship.

[@akivatalansky]

Is this the guy from Iran?

[@stardust6773]

What's the point? This is just reckless.

[@ThatBobGuy850]

Illegally? Do you know what the specific weather rules are in Russia? Why do people always assume that whenever a video comes out it was produced in their own country? The guy in the video is Michael Farikh - he's in Russia. I've met him. Hell of a guy, hell of a pilot. I don't agree with everything he does, but he has much bigger balls than I do - for whatever that's worth.

[@helicopterin]

+Robert Barbanes, It's illegal because IMC flight is prohibited in that aircraft according to it's POH, doesn't matter what country he does it in. That decision making has lead to this: www.heliweb.com/adventurer-round-world-pilot-michael-farikh-killed-crash-russia/

[@adb012]

Illegally is the least of the problems. Stupidly unsafe simulating an impossible combination of failures which is useless for training purposes. That is, basically showing off. This pilot moroned himself to death, unfortunately killing others in the process.

[@harryaxe2480]

Therefore, the worms are already eating him (Farikh) in the ground in the cemetery, even despite the fact that he had large eggs.

[@dillaseven9373]

This is what Kobe saw before he died

[@goncalolemos5932]

Have to admit is great self control and good skill, is danger? Yes, but between a pilot that never flew in clouds and this one... training in all conditions I believe is great, never know what can happen

[@goncalolemos5932]

ColtDeltaElite10mm Yes I say skill and self control!!! Agree to teach not to do, but shit happens and if someone get inside clouds accidentally, should be instructed to deal with it and not get killed!!! Thats why any pilot goes imc on Helicopter, ends dead!! So all heli pilots come out with the fear of imc and not to do!!! !!! Because unfortunately there is not many guys like this one that masters self control. And ended up killed because o whiteout, just pushed to much. But should have respect for it!

[@nastysoda9212]

There is no skill here whatsoever.

[@goncalolemos5932]

@@nastysoda9212 ah really? U must be then the skills one!.. come on This is master in many aspects, there is a fact

[@paulmurray8734]

If you look carefully you can see the ground throughout this whole flight what a pile of BS

[@B8kmonster]

Lucky pilot.

[@seanmclaughlin8229]

Was there a point to flying with those simulated failures? He still has altimeter, airspeed indicator, heading indicator and manifold pressure gauge. Those are the primary instruments in straight and level flight anyways. And he didn't seem to maintain those conditions that long. Am I missing something?

[@olamarvin]

To show "I'm a tough guy, I can do it". And then he died doing it.

[@clintg1294]

@@olamarvin flying like this, death is inevitable, it’s bad enough when they kill themselves but killing others also along with him 😭 RIP

[@franciscoherrera3757]

No sé cómo describir lo que este señor hizo,

[@adb012]

Estupidez sucida asesina con complejo de infalibilidad y superioridad divina????

[@cristianomallmann3842]

Thais guy had balls of steel.

[@helicopterin]

No, he was an arrogant, reckless asshole. His stupidity resulted in him taking the lives of two innocent people, as well as his own.

[@19divoc16]

That is most of chopper pilot crash environment .

[@vidvidvid2012]

Why did Kobe’s chopper crash?

[@jeromecrockett2311]

Because you don't do what he just did he just lucky to escape

[@unapologetic7900]

Because of a stupid Pilot making very bad decisions.

[@harryaxe2480]

By the way, as if it were not regrettable, this pilot died while piloting a helicopter in the same conditions after crashing into an obstacle.....

[@victormikecharlie1596]

It seem like this guy wants to die

[@pavelavietor1]

Hello how he did it, he must be a alien 👽 .saludos nice video 📹 👍

[@terryzacharias7683]

Funny, no, its STUPID, how the video is labeled "now descending to VMC"! PLEASE...you NEVER made it to VMC! Darwin wins again.

[@leez20letcorsa]

Seems a little idiotic doing it this way,

[@garyhobart7498]

Guess this training didn't help. he died because of an iimc. Lol

[@Orly90]

Who said this guy died?

[@Orly90]

I googled it. What a dumbass he was.

[@DeeO9186]

Pure evil! Inadvertent IMC in a Robinson is scary as ***t irrespective of your level of experience. I don't know what he's trying to achieve here. If you are brave and don't care about your life, why not join the army and fly solo to the war front?

[@coriscotupi]

Just from the assertion that an altimeter's scale in meters means "three times less precision than in feet" we could see what kind of an ignorant fool this was. His flying a helicopter into IMC - while covering instruments, no less, confirms it. No wonder this idiot ended up killing himself (and sadly also his innocent passengers) by doing just that: CFIT by pushing VFR into IMC. I have no sympathy for those morons who know exactly what NOT do do, yet do it just to show off. By electing to step out of this planet, he made aviation a little safer by no longer risking crashing into someone's living-room. I'll give him that.

[@bobdapples]

corisco tupi Do you know if during the making of this video that the fatal crash happened or was it a different flight? I agree with you completely about how stupid this was. He is clearly flying in IMC Conditions just like he would be in VFR Conditions and ain’t no big deal. He is clearly not communicating with ATC while steadily covering instruments. I do not hold a Helicopter rating but I have been a Private Pilot for about 14 years without a IFR Rating. I still do what IFR training I can with a instructor but when I see Conditions like that ahead of me then I’m making a 180 and getting on the ground. Just reading your comment makes me think that when we see this happen then the same thought crosses our minds of WTF are you doing and why. Jesus Christ I can’t believe these people and it scares me to know these type of people are up there with us.

[@flywithme7843]

This was so stupid...

[@lukesnape8544]

WHAT THE FUCK???

[@Feedback4Utoday]

Now that is impressive plotting. Seems very relaxed & likes the cloud. Must practice this regular.

[@andreasrheindt8606]

That is just silly and dumb...

[@guledali5560]

This guy is a expert Kobe pilot 👩‍✈️ was beyond horrible he should’ve put the helicopter down lower and lower till he sees the ground and land it anywhere as possible to be safe instead he kills Kobe and and took us from us

[@ramjet4025]

FYI, This is a Russian pilot in a Russian based R44. He died trying to do IFR as PIC in an R44. His closest friend also did similar videos. These two actually believed they could do IFR safely with passengers on board in an R44. They are both DEAD as as a result of IFR flight in an R44. He took off from a resort in zero zero weather to take his family, to an airport to catch a flight. He killed his family and himself. I have a real problem with this HliJMK video poster as it gives a very false impression to vulnerable macho personalities who would engage in attempting this sort of stunt. If you did this in western countries, you would be identified and have your licence pulled. You would have to complete all your exams and rides again in order to get your licence back and then, probably have a serious problem getting insurance. If you want to show you can fly IFR, do it with a Helicopter Instrument Instructor and get your instrument rating, that will never be valid for a real IFR flight in an R44.

[@HeliJMK]

To be clear, I in no way endorse what this man did. I was arguing with him about the dangers of flying an R44 IMC, and he ended up sending me this video trying to prove how good he was. I posted it on this KZbin account I made to share with others the insanity I had just been sent. This was 6 years ago, and this video hasn’t received much attention until yesterday when someone stumbled across it and shared it to a FB group. I will make a description on here so people realize this is not an endorsement of the reckless behavior demonstrated by the now deceased pilot who made this video.

[@ramjet4025]

@@HeliJMK You can make additions and comments attempting to "justify" your post of this video which has been noted but probably everyone in the helicopter industry especially at the Robinson factory. By posting this video you know or should know that your are leading others to kill themselves. Then you again try to "rationalize" your post with what-about-it-is because "someone" posted it on facebook. Just identify yourself as the poster, if you ever do the Robinson Safety Course. I'm sure they will be thrilled to meet the poster.

[@HeliJMK]

@@ramjet4025 well that’s about the most ridiculous statement I’ve ever heard. So, I’m assuming any time the NTSB or flight safety, or aopa put out videos of crash recreations, you email them and tell them they’re killing other people? This is a learning opportunity, whether you like it or not, especially since this man ended up killing himself, and others, doing something similar to this. I attended the Robinson safety course about 15 years ago, when I began my aviation career. I now fly SPIFR HAA in a twin. If you’d like to forward this to Robinson so they can use it as a safety tool, please feel free.

[@ramjet4025]

@@HeliJMK Similar logic for and against posting is used in suicide information. The fact is , the more news there is on a suicidal activity, the more suicides result. Yes, you were right and he was wrong about R44 IFR but you are in denial as to the dangers of your post. You simply could not resist the urge to post it and now, lack of control under IFR in an R44 is the leading cause of deaths in R44.

[@HeliJMK]

@@ramjet4025 first, please cite a source that backs up your claim that more info regarding suicide increases occurrences of suicide, because that’s also absurd. Also please provide a citation that “lack of control under IFR is leading cause of death in the R44”. Regardless, I’m confident that no person is going to watch this video and think they should go copy this mans terrible decisions. I say that confidently as I read every single comment on here. If you don’t like the video, don’t watch it. That simple.

[@davidlegeros1914]

This appears to be an R44 flown in actual IMC, and partial panel? While this is a good display of piloting skills, an even better display of airmanship and judgement would have been to return back to base and put your beautiful R44 into a hangar. The R44 is neither certificated for actual IMC, nor does it have ANY ice protection except for maybe windshield defrost. Stay safe and practice this in a helicopter that is actually certificated for IMC and known icing conditions! Or practice partial-panel in a simulator. Helicopters are very expensive!

[@pavankumar-eo6xc]

Great & deep experience finally leads to more risk and death. Becoz next time , experience ignores the risk and enters to danger zone. Pilots need discipline. After Rip Bipin Rawat

[@MegaTraker]

i do like thjs kind of challenge well done,

[@markpeterson3220]

Brave!

[@BillyG869]

Scud pilot

[@vicesmadonna8151]

Kobe

[@cmtemoacirsilva]

This helicopter should NOT be flown under these weather conditions. It is very difficult to understand why some pilots still do this, running huge risks of fatal accidents. I hope he's still alive, although it's very unlikely. I have been flying helicopters for 45 years and you can only fly in these conditions with certified equipment and a trained crew. I sincerely hope that NO pilot tries to do what is shown in this video because it is certain that they will end up meeting their death.

[@helicopterin]

He’s dead, and he killed the two passengers that were in his helicopter. As you could’ve guessed, he was flying in IMC in his R44.