Narrative:

On jul/wed/04, I was PIC of a helicopter bell 206BIII (heavy). At XA50 I was cleared to depart northeast. I selected that path based on the weight of the aircraft, wind direction, construction equipment and aircraft blocking other departure options. A white construction truck stopped in front of my intended flight path. I called the tower to see if they had communication with the driver of the truck to coordinate the departure. Tower informed me they could not talk with the truck driver. I then made eye contact with the driver and through hand signals motioned him to move forward. He then pointed to the rear of the truck (west) and gave me the 'middle finger.' I understood from his directions that he wanted me to go behind him (west). Once I started the movement into transitional lift, the driver of the white truck hopped in the truck and started backing up to block my path or ram the helicopter with his truck. I was able to avoid contact with the truck by passing in front of him while contacting the right front skid in the dirt. I continued the flight for 15 mins while talking with the tower to inform them of the near miss. Upon return my camera operator, reporter, and photographer told me that the construction crew was giving us the 'middle finger.' I called the tower from the ground and gave them the license number of the truck. While writing down the number of the truck, one of the construction crew workers threatened to assault me. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter was very frustrated with the FAA and his feeling that the local FSDO and poi had 'dropped the ball' on the issue of safety and uncontrolled aggression on the part of the truck driver. The tower controller had called the FAA upon seeing the incident. The FAA accused the reporter of being 'grossly negligent' in not being able to take off straight up and avoid the truck. The reporter explained that he was too heavy to do that. The poi and FAA representative were not friendly to his cause and set up a meeting of pilot's supervisor, port of pdx and the construction company supervisor. The truck driver was called in and everyone, except the pilot, agreed it was a misunderstanding and said, 'let's shake hands.' reporter felt that the construction personnel were hot and upset with the dust raised by the helicopter's wash but the aircraft was 'boxed' in by vehicles and had no other way to depart. The FAA inspector said that it '...was fortunate that it was settled this way so that no one got grounded...'

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A BELL 206 PLT RPTS OF AN ATTEMPT BY A CONSTRUCTION COMPANY TRUCK DRIVER TO BLOCK HIS TKOF AND NEARLY HITTING THE HVY ACFT ON TKOF FROM HIO.

Narrative: ON JUL/WED/04, I WAS PIC OF A HELI BELL 206BIII (HVY). AT XA50 I WAS CLRED TO DEPART NE. I SELECTED THAT PATH BASED ON THE WT OF THE ACFT, WIND DIRECTION, CONSTRUCTION EQUIP AND ACFT BLOCKING OTHER DEP OPTIONS. A WHITE CONSTRUCTION TRUCK STOPPED IN FRONT OF MY INTENDED FLT PATH. I CALLED THE TWR TO SEE IF THEY HAD COM WITH THE DRIVER OF THE TRUCK TO COORDINATE THE DEP. TWR INFORMED ME THEY COULD NOT TALK WITH THE TRUCK DRIVER. I THEN MADE EYE CONTACT WITH THE DRIVER AND THROUGH HAND SIGNALS MOTIONED HIM TO MOVE FORWARD. HE THEN POINTED TO THE REAR OF THE TRUCK (W) AND GAVE ME THE 'MIDDLE FINGER.' I UNDERSTOOD FROM HIS DIRECTIONS THAT HE WANTED ME TO GO BEHIND HIM (W). ONCE I STARTED THE MOVEMENT INTO TRANSITIONAL LIFT, THE DRIVER OF THE WHITE TRUCK HOPPED IN THE TRUCK AND STARTED BACKING UP TO BLOCK MY PATH OR RAM THE HELI WITH HIS TRUCK. I WAS ABLE TO AVOID CONTACT WITH THE TRUCK BY PASSING IN FRONT OF HIM WHILE CONTACTING THE R FRONT SKID IN THE DIRT. I CONTINUED THE FLT FOR 15 MINS WHILE TALKING WITH THE TWR TO INFORM THEM OF THE NEAR MISS. UPON RETURN MY CAMERA OPERATOR, RPTR, AND PHOTOGRAPHER TOLD ME THAT THE CONSTRUCTION CREW WAS GIVING US THE 'MIDDLE FINGER.' I CALLED THE TWR FROM THE GND AND GAVE THEM THE LICENSE NUMBER OF THE TRUCK. WHILE WRITING DOWN THE NUMBER OF THE TRUCK, ONE OF THE CONSTRUCTION CREW WORKERS THREATENED TO ASSAULT ME. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR WAS VERY FRUSTRATED WITH THE FAA AND HIS FEELING THAT THE LCL FSDO AND POI HAD 'DROPPED THE BALL' ON THE ISSUE OF SAFETY AND UNCTLED AGGRESSION ON THE PART OF THE TRUCK DRIVER. THE TWR CTLR HAD CALLED THE FAA UPON SEEING THE INCIDENT. THE FAA ACCUSED THE RPTR OF BEING 'GROSSLY NEGLIGENT' IN NOT BEING ABLE TO TAKE OFF STRAIGHT UP AND AVOID THE TRUCK. THE RPTR EXPLAINED THAT HE WAS TOO HVY TO DO THAT. THE POI AND FAA REPRESENTATIVE WERE NOT FRIENDLY TO HIS CAUSE AND SET UP A MEETING OF PLT'S SUPVR, PORT OF PDX AND THE CONSTRUCTION COMPANY SUPVR. THE TRUCK DRIVER WAS CALLED IN AND EVERYONE, EXCEPT THE PLT, AGREED IT WAS A MISUNDERSTANDING AND SAID, 'LET'S SHAKE HANDS.' RPTR FELT THAT THE CONSTRUCTION PERSONNEL WERE HOT AND UPSET WITH THE DUST RAISED BY THE HELI'S WASH BUT THE ACFT WAS 'BOXED' IN BY VEHICLES AND HAD NO OTHER WAY TO DEPART. THE FAA INSPECTOR SAID THAT IT '...WAS FORTUNATE THAT IT WAS SETTLED THIS WAY SO THAT NO ONE GOT GNDED...'

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.