Helicopter Tail Rotor Fails During Sling Load Flight; Pilot Executes Running Landing (N211EH)

Incident Overview

A helicopter experienced a tail rotor failure shortly after departing the airport while conducting a visual flight rules (VFR) local sling loading flight. The pilot reported that at approximately 500 feet above sea level during climb-out, a sudden and severe vibration occurred. The pilot made a 180-degree turn to return to the airport and initiated a rapid descent. At about 200 feet, the pilot turned back into the wind to perform an autorotational landing to a taxiway designated as Taxiway H. At that point, the pilot had no tail rotor control and elected to make a running landing on the taxiway.

Investigation Findings

Investigation revealed an in-flight failure of the tail rotor. The failure occurred after the leading edge abrasion strip became detached. Examination of the components showed evidence of a cohesive failure in the manufacturing process of the abrasion strip.

Probable Cause

The probable cause of the incident was the in-flight failure of the tail rotor after the leading edge abrasion strip became detached due to a cohesive failure in the manufacturing process.