The pilot of an Airbus Helicopters AS350 B3e, who had logged no instrument flight time in the previous nine years, likely became spatially disoriented while trying to maneuver around clouds on the way to a frost-protection job,1 the New Zealand Transport Accident Investigation Commission (TAIC) says. The helicopter entered a descending right turn and then a left spiral dive, striking the ground and killing the pilot.
In its final report on the Sept. 16, 2021, accident, the TAIC said that, for pilots such as the accident pilot, who had a restricted night rating — limiting flight to within 25 nm (46 km) of a lighted heliport or airport — the New Zealand Civil Aviation Authority’s (CAA’s) rules and guidance for night flight under visual flight rules (VFR) were “ambiguous.” The ambiguity “could lead to night VFR pilots flying longer distances than permitted at night and encountering night flying conditions outside their capabilities,” the repor…
