During an emergency night operation, a bell EMS helicopter is damaged during a ground taxi turn, hit...

Attributes
ACN	576631
Time
Date	200303
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1801 To 2400
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl bound lower : 0 agl bound upper : 6
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	Other
Make Model Name	Bell Helicopter Textron Undifferentiated or Other Model
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 135
Flight Phase	ground : taxi
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 216 flight time total : 22350
ASRS Report	576631
Person 2
Function	other personnel other
Events
Anomaly	ground encounters other other anomaly other anomaly other
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	flight crew : landed in emergency condition flight crew : overrode automation flight crew : regained aircraft control other
Consequence	other other other other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Environmental Factor Airspace Structure Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Environmental Factor

Narrative:

I departed ZZZ with 2 flight nurses for a medical scene call on a road 1/2 mi east of town. After departure to the scene, I called flight dispatch for a landing zone update. I then notified fire crew for additional update and estimated time of arrival. We were told of obstacles along south of highway and that flares were going to be used. I overflew the landing zone from west to east with the approach to the west along highway. On short final, I confirmed the high tension wires and numerous signs near the landing zone. The medical crew informed me that they would probably do a 'hot load' so after landing I would keep the aircraft running. The crew departed the aircraft, to the left and right rear. I then notified county fire department that I would be moving the aircraft because of safety reasons. I proceeded to ground taxi the aircraft forward to turn the tail into the turn around, which was just off the left front of the aircraft. I cleared the aircraft, then began a right turn to face south on the highway. I then moved the aircraft forward and this is when the tail rotor struck a steel reflector post. The aircraft immediately came to a 5-6 ft hover. I then lowered the collective and rolled the throttles from idle to stop -- the right rotation of the helicopter. The aircraft landed with a left rear skid first and still continued to rotate to the right. The aircraft came to a stop with the heading 180 degrees from the original heading. I made an emergency shutdown and called flight dispatch. Problem arose: moving aircraft to new position after landing. Contributing factors: high volume of light causing whiteout on plexiglas windows. Debris around landing zone. Decision to ground taxi rather than hovering. Reflector steel post was camouflaged with backgnd. How it was discovered: by load gang. Aircraft rotated to the right and became airborne. Correction action: autorotate with throttles to idle.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DURING AN EMER NIGHT OP, A BELL EMS HELI IS DAMAGED DURING A GND TAXI TURN, HITTING ITS TAIL ROTOR ON A STEEL REFLECTOR POST OFF THE SIDE OF THE HWY NEAR ZZZ, US.

Narrative: I DEPARTED ZZZ WITH 2 FLT NURSES FOR A MEDICAL SCENE CALL ON A ROAD 1/2 MI E OF TOWN. AFTER DEP TO THE SCENE, I CALLED FLT DISPATCH FOR A LNDG ZONE UPDATE. I THEN NOTIFIED FIRE CREW FOR ADDITIONAL UPDATE AND ESTIMATED TIME OF ARR. WE WERE TOLD OF OBSTACLES ALONG S OF HWY AND THAT FLARES WERE GOING TO BE USED. I OVERFLEW THE LNDG ZONE FROM W TO E WITH THE APCH TO THE W ALONG HWY. ON SHORT FINAL, I CONFIRMED THE HIGH TENSION WIRES AND NUMEROUS SIGNS NEAR THE LNDG ZONE. THE MEDICAL CREW INFORMED ME THAT THEY WOULD PROBABLY DO A 'HOT LOAD' SO AFTER LNDG I WOULD KEEP THE ACFT RUNNING. THE CREW DEPARTED THE ACFT, TO THE L AND R REAR. I THEN NOTIFIED COUNTY FIRE DEPT THAT I WOULD BE MOVING THE ACFT BECAUSE OF SAFETY REASONS. I PROCEEDED TO GND TAXI THE ACFT FORWARD TO TURN THE TAIL INTO THE TURN AROUND, WHICH WAS JUST OFF THE L FRONT OF THE ACFT. I CLRED THE ACFT, THEN BEGAN A R TURN TO FACE S ON THE HWY. I THEN MOVED THE ACFT FORWARD AND THIS IS WHEN THE TAIL ROTOR STRUCK A STEEL REFLECTOR POST. THE ACFT IMMEDIATELY CAME TO A 5-6 FT HOVER. I THEN LOWERED THE COLLECTIVE AND ROLLED THE THROTTLES FROM IDLE TO STOP -- THE RIGHT ROTATION OF THE HELI. THE ACFT LANDED WITH A L REAR SKID FIRST AND STILL CONTINUED TO ROTATE TO THE R. THE ACFT CAME TO A STOP WITH THE HDG 180 DEGS FROM THE ORIGINAL HDG. I MADE AN EMER SHUTDOWN AND CALLED FLT DISPATCH. PROB AROSE: MOVING ACFT TO NEW POS AFTER LNDG. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: HIGH VOLUME OF LIGHT CAUSING WHITEOUT ON PLEXIGLAS WINDOWS. DEBRIS AROUND LNDG ZONE. DECISION TO GND TAXI RATHER THAN HOVERING. REFLECTOR STEEL POST WAS CAMOUFLAGED WITH BACKGND. HOW IT WAS DISCOVERED: BY LOAD GANG. ACFT ROTATED TO THE R AND BECAME AIRBORNE. CORRECTION ACTION: AUTOROTATE WITH THROTTLES TO IDLE.

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.

During an emergency night operation, a bell EMS helicopter is damaged during a ground taxi turn, hitting its tail rotor on a steel reflector post off the side of the highway near ZZZ, us.