20140423005889I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Eurocopter AS 350 B2 · Panama City, FL · April 23, 2014

Date
April 23, 2014 · 12:52 local
Place
Panama City, FL
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
QMLA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N547AM
Reported as
Eurocopter AS 350 B2
Reported engine
Turbomeca ARRIEL-1D1
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
6,200 total240 in this make and model30 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

After patient pick up pilot departed gadsden county (helipad), enroute to bay front medical center, to drop of passenger, during helicopter landing tail rotor blade struck plastic chain link line that was surrounding helipad at the medical center. Pilot stated that helicopter was hovering and drifted backwards; which resulted in the tail rotor blade being damaged, both blades counter weight support brackets were damaged, one each blade showed a 2 inch in length dent at nose cap and spar. Lower vertical fin showed marks and scratches. Helicopter landed safely with minor damage to helicopter and no injuries to crew or passenger.

As the FAA filed it

AFTER PATIENT PICK UP PILOT DEPARTED GADSDEN COUNTY (HELIPAD), ENROUTE TO BAY FRONT MEDICAL CENTER, TO DROP OF PASSENGER, DURING HELICOPTER LANDING TAIL ROTOR BLADE STRUCK PLASTIC CHAIN LINK LINE THAT WAS SURROUNDING HELIPAD AT THE MEDICAL CENTER. PILOT STATED THAT HELICOPTER WAS HOVERING AND DRIFTED BACKWARDS; WHICH RESULTED IN THE TAIL ROTOR BLADE BEING DAMAGED, BOTH BLADES COUNTER WEIGHT SUPPORT BRACKETS WERE DAMAGED, ONE EACH BLADE SHOWED A 2 INCH IN LENGTH DENT AT NOSE CAP AND SPAR. LOWER VERTICAL FIN SHOWED MARKS AND SCRATCHES. HELICOPTER LANDED SAFELY WITH MINOR DAMAGE TO HELICOPTER AND NO INJURIES TO CREW OR PASSENGER.