THE ACCIDENT OCCURRED IN INTERNATIONAL WATERS AT LONGITUDE 121 DEGREES 13 MINUTES WEST AND LATITUDE 12 DEGREES 52 MINUTES NORTH. ACCORDING TO AN EXTRACT FROM THE SHIP'S LOG, THE HELICOPTER DEPARTED THE VESSEL ON A FISH SPOTTING MISSION AND WAS WORKING AN AREA 15 TO 20 MILES FROM THE SHIP WHILE BEING MONITORED ON THE SHIP SEARCH RADAR. AT A POINT BEARING 305 DEGREES AND 17 MILES FROM THE SHIP, THE PILOT ADVISED THAT HE WAS RETURNING TO THE VESSEL. SHORTLY THEREAFTER, THE PILOT TRANSMITTED 'WE ARE GOING DOWN...THE ENGINE HAS STOPPED.' THE VESSEL IMMEDIATELY PROCEEDED TO THE LAST KNOWN RADAR POSITION OF THE HELICOPTER AND BEGAN A SEARCH PATTERN, WHICH WAS SUSPENDED AT DUSK. AT 0900 HOURS ON SEPTEMBER 23RD, VARIOUS PIECES OF FIBER GLASS AND AN UNOPENED INFLATABLE RAFT WERE FOUND AND A SHORT TIME LATER, THE BODY OF THE PASSENGER WAS LOCATED.