Incident
During a landing operation in a confined, off-airport area near a fire line, a public use helicopter inadvertently struck a tree with a main rotor blade. The impact caused substantial damage to the blade. The pilot, who was transporting a fire fighting crew, off-loaded the firefighters after landing and continued to operate the helicopter for approximately 30 minutes.
Discovery
Upon returning to the site to recover the fire fighters, the crew informed the pilot that they had noticed a rotor blade strike on a tree. The pilot then conducted a visual inspection of the rotor blades and found a gash in the skin and internal honeycomb structure of one main rotor blade.
Damage
The main rotor blade sustained a gash that penetrated both the outer skin and the internal honeycomb structure. The extent of the damage was such that the blade was substantially compromised. No other damage was reported.