What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Evaluation FAA check flight. During spool down and parking. Wind gusts caused rotors to come down. Struck tailboom. (-23) the pilot had just completed a one hour, day, VFR flight for currency and proficiency. The wind was confirmed at 22 knots with gusts estimated to exceed 30 knots from the south. The aircraft was positioned heading north and on the northeast corner of a row of t hangers running east and west. The wind blowing over the top and around the east side of the t hangers was hitting the rotor disc from the top and from the right side. This high rate and unusual direction of the wind contributed to the blades flexing as the rotor system slowed. With the reduced amount of vertical clearance between the rotating blades and the empennage (compared to the 500 series helicopter with the standard anti torque system) the blade flexing downward struck the empennage.
As the FAA filed it
EVALUATION FAA CHECK FLIGHT. DURING SPOOL DOWN AND PARKING. WIND GUSTS CAUSED ROTORS TO COME DOWN. STRUCK TAILBOOM. (-23) THE PILOT HAD JUST COMPLETED A ONE HOUR, DAY, VFR FLIGHT FOR CURRENCY AND PROFICIENCY. THE WIND WAS CONFIRMED AT 22 KNOTS WITH GUSTS ESTIMATED TO EXCEED 30 KNOTS FROM THE SOUTH. THE AIRCRAFT WAS POSITIONED HEADING NORTH AND ON THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF A ROW OF T HANGERS RUNNING EAST AND WEST. THE WIND BLOWING OVER THE TOP AND AROUND THE EAST SIDE OF THE T HANGERS WAS HITTING THE ROTOR DISC FROM THE TOP AND FROM THE RIGHT SIDE. THIS HIGH RATE AND UNUSUAL DIRECTION OF THE WIND CONTRIBUTED TO THE BLADES FLEXING AS THE ROTOR SYSTEM SLOWED. WITH THE REDUCED AMOUNT OF VERTICAL CLEARANCE BETWEEN THE ROTATING BLADES AND THE EMPENNAGE (COMPARED TO THE 500 SERIES HELICOPTER WITH THE STANDARD ANTI TORQUE SYSTEM) THE BLADE FLEXING DOWNWARD STRUCK THE EMPENNAGE.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.