https://youtu.be/fbC5BRbEr1U?si=P4FXwiR1dHkEFD2Q 

Maybe, but pilots are still repeating. 

Reading about it but first time I heard the audio,

sweaty palms 

Man, you could hear the stress in that guy's voice. The "whoa, whoa, whoa" at 5:16 got me, that's probably where he knew he was hitting the water. I-IMC and Spatial-D, not a good thing.

Somehow we have to convince pilots, even those flying vfr aircraft, that if there is nothing to look at outside, don't look outside. I feel positive this pilot had plenty of instruments to maintain control looking inside. Trying to combine looking inside and outside , when there is nothing to look at outside is a loser.

I have been IIMC in vfr aircraft. I am an IFR Captain but I still found IIMC a scary deal. Once I excepted the fact that I needed to operate the aircraft on instruments things settled down pretty quick. I have always told my fellow pilots that the aircraft doesn't know it's in the clouds so it's on the pilot to perform. 

One piece of advice is to work your instrument scan into every day flying. Pick an altitude and maintain the altitude with instruments. Same way, pick airspeeds and headings and maintain. A second piece of advice is, when operating in low visibility, start really considering what you will do in the case of IIMC. Have a plan and when the worst happens commit to the plan like your life depends on it.

he says  

Just your average no brain helicopter pilot making crappy VFR decisions and can't fly IFR either.

'Same type of average helicopter pilot who killed Bryant but thought he was the best ever. If pilots put half as much effort into understanding their trade as Bryant did his, we'd be moron free.'

Helicopter pilot since 1968. There is no such thing as a risk free operation, period.

Kobe Bryant's death crash was an accident. They're called "accidents" because they are unplanned,  unintentional.

And it don't matter a whit if one "understands their trade" or not, even the most expert and proficient pilots have accidents. Those pilots seem to have fewer accidents than your typical helicopter pilot because they avoid, as much as possible, the situations that necessarily involve more risk exposure.

Wow, didn't know you can be both that old and that stupid to think IIMC accidents today are just oops I had an accident. If you get IIMC today as a helo pilot, you're just plain stupid. You have to be a moron not to study accidents and history to avoid it. 

exposure and risk is OGE when you have to be.

IIMC is a pure lack of planning and lack thoughtfulness. 

on IIMC

study the accidents and history and say wut

On a side note, when instructing for FSI a while ago, the guy training me to be a simulator instructor told me that a far amount of pilots who initially responded to IIMC would, about 10 minutes or so into the recovery, lose control of the aircraft.  Fortunately, most of them would regain control and safely shoot an instrument approach.

I didn't believe him until I started instructing in the simulator.

He was absolutely spot on!  I never keep statistics, but my gut tells me it around 10% to 15%.  And, most did successfully recover and land.  

I started asking the pilots what happened when they lost control, and most (the honest one!) said, "I got too comfortable and too lazy (read - complacent) with my scan.  

A word to the wise, the poster who basically said "practice" whenever you can is absolutely right.  IMC flying in a helicopter is a perishable skill.  Don't do it much, and it's too late to catch up when the real situation arrives!

BTW, a three axis autopilot in helicopters should now be standard equipment!