The hard landing the pilot performed with a quartering tailwind, leading to the helicopter's rollover. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s reliance on a weather service that did not provide a primary weather product.

The pilot's continued VFR flight into instrument meteorological conditions (IMC), and his spatial disorientation and loss of control during a subsequent landing. Factors associated with the accident are flat light and whiteout conditions, fog, and snow-covered terrain.