Narrative:

The tail rotor blades on the bell 206 helicopter I was flying struck the rotor blade tie down strap and hook. The following is a written account of the incident. I landed from my first flight of the morning at XA06 am. After checking in that flight, I began my preflight inspection at XA30 for my planned departure at AB00. During my preflight, I noted that the main rotor blades were secured to the stinger by the strap and hook. I found no discrepancies during the preflight inspection. My passenger for the XB00 flight did not arrive at the hangar until approximately XB50. When my passenger arrived we discussed what our mission for the day was to be. After this discussion I determined that I would have an additional 16 gals of fuel added to the aircraft. When I went out to the aircraft at about XC00, it had been fueled and moved. Walking out to the aircraft, I noticed that the main rotor blades were no longer secured to the stinger by the strap and hook. I assumed that tie down had been removed after the aircraft had been fueled. I moved the aircraft and dolly from the hangar to the helipads with the tug. When I arrived at the helipad, the blades had swung around to the 4 O'clock position/10 O'clock position. Before starting the aircraft, I looked at the main rotor blades to make certain that they were not secured, and I also looked behind the aircraft to make certain that the area around the aircraft was clear. At no time during the ground handling of the aircraft or when I cleared the area did I notice the tie down hook or strap hanging from the stinger. I started the aircraft as normal. Approximately 3 mins after starting the aircraft and going through the checklist, I brought the aircraft into a hover over the dolly. As I initiated a left pedal turn, I heard a noise and felt a strong vibration. I knew that my tail rotor had made contact with something. I repositioned the aircraft over the dolly and landed immediately. I throttled the engine down to idle as soon as it was on the dolly, asked my passenger to remain in the aircraft, and applied friction to the controls. I opened my door and tried to look over my shoulder to see what I had struck. I was unable to see anything looking over my shoulder, so I guarded the collective and stepped out of the aircraft. As I exited the aircraft I saw the hook and strap hanging from the stinger. Realizing what had happened I immediately got back in the aircraft and shut off the engine and completed the shut down as normal. Apparently the hook and strap had bounced off of the main rotor blade during the fueling and subsequent moving of the aircraft. When I walked out to the aircraft and saw that the main rotor blades were not secured, I wrongly assumed that after the aircraft had been fueled, the blades had been untied as this often is the case. I failed to notice the strap and hook hanging from the stinger while ground handling the aircraft for a distance of approximately 200 yds. I additionally failed to notice the tie down before entering the aircraft as well as when I looked behind the aircraft to make certain the area was clear before I started the aircraft. The hook and strap remained clear of the tail rotor blades throughout the engine start and run up of the aircraft. It was not until the aircraft was hovering that the downwash was sufficient to swing the strap and hook into the path of the tail rotor blades. It is my hope other pilots will learn from the mistakes I made in this incident. I was wrong to assume that some maintenance personnel had removed my tie down. Before I started the aircraft, I should have done a complete walk around of the aircraft, instead I ducked under the tail boom to check the security of all doors. If I had taken just 30 additional seconds to walk completely around the aircraft, this expensive and unfortunate incident would never have happened.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: B06 PLT DID NOT INSURE THE ROTOR BLADE TIE DOWN STRAP WAS CLR OF THE ACFT. THE TAIL ROTOR HIT THE STRAP.

Narrative: THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES ON THE BELL 206 HELI I WAS FLYING STRUCK THE ROTOR BLADE TIE DOWN STRAP AND HOOK. THE FOLLOWING IS A WRITTEN ACCOUNT OF THE INCIDENT. I LANDED FROM MY FIRST FLT OF THE MORNING AT XA06 AM. AFTER CHKING IN THAT FLT, I BEGAN MY PREFLT INSPECTION AT XA30 FOR MY PLANNED DEP AT AB00. DURING MY PREFLT, I NOTED THAT THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES WERE SECURED TO THE STINGER BY THE STRAP AND HOOK. I FOUND NO DISCREPANCIES DURING THE PREFLT INSPECTION. MY PAX FOR THE XB00 FLT DID NOT ARRIVE AT THE HANGAR UNTIL APPROX XB50. WHEN MY PAX ARRIVED WE DISCUSSED WHAT OUR MISSION FOR THE DAY WAS TO BE. AFTER THIS DISCUSSION I DETERMINED THAT I WOULD HAVE AN ADDITIONAL 16 GALS OF FUEL ADDED TO THE ACFT. WHEN I WENT OUT TO THE ACFT AT ABOUT XC00, IT HAD BEEN FUELED AND MOVED. WALKING OUT TO THE ACFT, I NOTICED THAT THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES WERE NO LONGER SECURED TO THE STINGER BY THE STRAP AND HOOK. I ASSUMED THAT TIE DOWN HAD BEEN REMOVED AFTER THE ACFT HAD BEEN FUELED. I MOVED THE ACFT AND DOLLY FROM THE HANGAR TO THE HELIPADS WITH THE TUG. WHEN I ARRIVED AT THE HELIPAD, THE BLADES HAD SWUNG AROUND TO THE 4 O'CLOCK POS/10 O'CLOCK POS. BEFORE STARTING THE ACFT, I LOOKED AT THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT THEY WERE NOT SECURED, AND I ALSO LOOKED BEHIND THE ACFT TO MAKE CERTAIN THAT THE AREA AROUND THE ACFT WAS CLR. AT NO TIME DURING THE GND HANDLING OF THE ACFT OR WHEN I CLRED THE AREA DID I NOTICE THE TIE DOWN HOOK OR STRAP HANGING FROM THE STINGER. I STARTED THE ACFT AS NORMAL. APPROX 3 MINS AFTER STARTING THE ACFT AND GOING THROUGH THE CHKLIST, I BROUGHT THE ACFT INTO A HOVER OVER THE DOLLY. AS I INITIATED A L PEDAL TURN, I HEARD A NOISE AND FELT A STRONG VIBRATION. I KNEW THAT MY TAIL ROTOR HAD MADE CONTACT WITH SOMETHING. I REPOSITIONED THE ACFT OVER THE DOLLY AND LANDED IMMEDIATELY. I THROTTLED THE ENG DOWN TO IDLE AS SOON AS IT WAS ON THE DOLLY, ASKED MY PAX TO REMAIN IN THE ACFT, AND APPLIED FRICTION TO THE CTLS. I OPENED MY DOOR AND TRIED TO LOOK OVER MY SHOULDER TO SEE WHAT I HAD STRUCK. I WAS UNABLE TO SEE ANYTHING LOOKING OVER MY SHOULDER, SO I GUARDED THE COLLECTIVE AND STEPPED OUT OF THE ACFT. AS I EXITED THE ACFT I SAW THE HOOK AND STRAP HANGING FROM THE STINGER. REALIZING WHAT HAD HAPPENED I IMMEDIATELY GOT BACK IN THE ACFT AND SHUT OFF THE ENG AND COMPLETED THE SHUT DOWN AS NORMAL. APPARENTLY THE HOOK AND STRAP HAD BOUNCED OFF OF THE MAIN ROTOR BLADE DURING THE FUELING AND SUBSEQUENT MOVING OF THE ACFT. WHEN I WALKED OUT TO THE ACFT AND SAW THAT THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES WERE NOT SECURED, I WRONGLY ASSUMED THAT AFTER THE ACFT HAD BEEN FUELED, THE BLADES HAD BEEN UNTIED AS THIS OFTEN IS THE CASE. I FAILED TO NOTICE THE STRAP AND HOOK HANGING FROM THE STINGER WHILE GND HANDLING THE ACFT FOR A DISTANCE OF APPROX 200 YDS. I ADDITIONALLY FAILED TO NOTICE THE TIE DOWN BEFORE ENTERING THE ACFT AS WELL AS WHEN I LOOKED BEHIND THE ACFT TO MAKE CERTAIN THE AREA WAS CLR BEFORE I STARTED THE ACFT. THE HOOK AND STRAP REMAINED CLR OF THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES THROUGHOUT THE ENG START AND RUN UP OF THE ACFT. IT WAS NOT UNTIL THE ACFT WAS HOVERING THAT THE DOWNWASH WAS SUFFICIENT TO SWING THE STRAP AND HOOK INTO THE PATH OF THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES. IT IS MY HOPE OTHER PLTS WILL LEARN FROM THE MISTAKES I MADE IN THIS INCIDENT. I WAS WRONG TO ASSUME THAT SOME MAINT PERSONNEL HAD REMOVED MY TIE DOWN. BEFORE I STARTED THE ACFT, I SHOULD HAVE DONE A COMPLETE WALK AROUND OF THE ACFT, INSTEAD I DUCKED UNDER THE TAIL BOOM TO CHK THE SECURITY OF ALL DOORS. IF I HAD TAKEN JUST 30 ADDITIONAL SECONDS TO WALK COMPLETELY AROUND THE ACFT, THIS EXPENSIVE AND UNFORTUNATE INCIDENT WOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED.

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.