What happened
During a flight intended to allow a passenger to videotape wildlife, a helicopter was performing a hover at approximately 5 feet above the ground. The left door of the aircraft had been removed for the duration of the flight to facilitate filming through the opening.
While in this low-altitude hover, the aircraft contacted a slope with an incline of 15 to 20 degrees. According to the pilot, the passenger inadvertently pushed the dual cyclic control stick forward. Before corrective action could be taken, the impact occurred. In an attempt to recover, the pilot abruptly moved the cyclic control stick aft; however, this maneuver caused the tail rotor to strike the ground. The resulting motion caused the main rotor blades to strike the aircraft, ultimately cutting off the tailboom.
The passenger provided a conflicting account, stating that while the event was possible, he did not believe he had pushed the control stick. He suggested that the pilot may have been distracted by the wildlife and inadvertently caused the aircraft to hit the ground.