A water bucket dropped 200 ft from a helicopter's cargo hook in-flight.

Attributes
ACN	308593
Time
Date	199506
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : ogg
State Reference	HI
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 200
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : ogg
Operator	common carrier : air taxi
Make Model Name	Helicopter
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff climbout : initial
Route In Use	enroute airway : ogg
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 250 flight time total : 12500 flight time type : 6000
ASRS Report	308593
Person 2
Affiliation	government : faa
Function	controller : local
Qualification	controller : non radar
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : far other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Consequence	Other
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance
Air Traffic Incident	Pilot Deviation

Narrative:

At the fly-in, the aircraft was on display and open to the public. Later, I was going to perform water bucket drops for the crowd (when flying into the show my bucket was attached). Upon entering the cockpit, I was expecting the switches to be in the wrong position, so I performed a thorough preflight of the cabin. However, I did not think to check the cargo hook release, which apparently had been tripped. The bucket came off of the aircraft at 200 ft and landed on the taxiway next to runway 2/20. There were no injuries or damage to persons or property. This could have been prevented if I would have only checked the cargo hook release prior to departure. I did not anticipate that it may have been pulled.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A WATER BUCKET DROPPED 200 FT FROM A HELI'S CARGO HOOK INFLT.

Narrative: AT THE FLY-IN, THE ACFT WAS ON DISPLAY AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC. LATER, I WAS GOING TO PERFORM WATER BUCKET DROPS FOR THE CROWD (WHEN FLYING INTO THE SHOW MY BUCKET WAS ATTACHED). UPON ENTERING THE COCKPIT, I WAS EXPECTING THE SWITCHES TO BE IN THE WRONG POS, SO I PERFORMED A THOROUGH PREFLT OF THE CABIN. HOWEVER, I DID NOT THINK TO CHK THE CARGO HOOK RELEASE, WHICH APPARENTLY HAD BEEN TRIPPED. THE BUCKET CAME OFF OF THE ACFT AT 200 FT AND LANDED ON THE TXWY NEXT TO RWY 2/20. THERE WERE NO INJURIES OR DAMAGE TO PERSONS OR PROPERTY. THIS COULD HAVE BEEN PREVENTED IF I WOULD HAVE ONLY CHKED THE CARGO HOOK RELEASE PRIOR TO DEP. I DID NOT ANTICIPATE THAT IT MAY HAVE BEEN PULLED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.