What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
Pilot of helicopter was in a hovering take off approx 20 to 30 feet AGL and was transitioning from hover to forward climbing flight when the helicopter banked rapidly to the right and contacted the ground with the main rotor. The helicopter then rotated rapidly in a clockwise direction and the tail rotor stuck the ground and broke off the helicopter, followed by several rotations before coming to rest on the skids. Video security recording displays what appears to be a door opening on the right side of the helicopter just prior to the rapid right banking of the helicopter. Appears the pilot may have been distracted by door opening or was trying to close the door and inadvertently input excessive right cyclic causing the rapid bank to the right and did not have time to recover before striking the ground with the main rotor.
As the FAA filed it
PILOT OF HELICOPTER WAS IN A HOVERING TAKE OFF APPROX 20 TO 30 FEET AGL AND WAS TRANSITIONING FROM HOVER TO FORWARD CLIMBING FLIGHT WHEN THE HELICOPTER BANKED RAPIDLY TO THE RIGHT AND CONTACTED THE GROUND WITH THE MAIN ROTOR. THE HELICOPTER THEN ROTATED RAPIDLY IN A CLOCKWISE DIRECTION AND THE TAIL ROTOR STUCK THE GROUND AND BROKE OFF THE HELICOPTER, FOLLOWED BY SEVERAL ROTATIONS BEFORE COMING TO REST ON THE SKIDS. VIDEO SECURITY RECORDING DISPLAYS WHAT APPEARS TO BE A DOOR OPENING ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE HELICOPTER JUST PRIOR TO THE RAPID RIGHT BANKING OF THE HELICOPTER. APPEARS THE PILOT MAY HAVE BEEN DISTRACTED BY DOOR OPENING OR WAS TRYING TO CLOSE THE DOOR AND INADVERTENTLY INPUT EXCESSIVE RIGHT CYCLIC CAUSING THE RAPID BANK TO THE RIGHT AND DID NOT HAVE TIME TO RECOVER BEFORE STRIKING THE GROUND WITH THE MAIN ROTOR.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.