Incident Description
According to the pilot, after landing the helicopter, he noticed that one of the skids was off the pavement and beginning to settle into the ground. To correct this, the pilot lifted the helicopter to reposition the skid back onto the pavement. Concurrently, the refuel trailer was being pulled forward toward the helicopter. Once the helicopter was repositioned on the pavement, the refueling trailer continued moving until it struck the right synchronized elevator on the tail boom assembly.
Damage and Examination
Examination of the helicopter revealed that the right synchronized elevator was buckled as a result of the impact. No flight control or mechanical anomalies were reported by the pilot.
Operational Procedures
A review of the USDA Forest Service operating procedures indicated that there were no established procedures for "hot" refueling (refueling while the helicopter's engine is running). Subsequent to this incident, procedures have been adopted to prevent a recurrence.