Incident Overview
A helicopter landed in a flat grass-covered field to remove a long line and bambi bucket used in firefighting operations. After touchdown, the pilot reduced the throttle to flight idle and applied friction locks to the cyclic and collective controls. The wind at the time was from 060 degrees at 19 knots, gusting to 25 knots.
Sequence of Events
Upon exiting the helicopter, a gust of wind caught the unattended rotor disk, causing the helicopter to tilt rearward on its skids. As the pilot returned to the controls, the tail rotor made contact with the ground. The pilot then leveled the helicopter, brought the engine back to flight idle, and initiated a hover.
Post-Incident Actions
The pilot performed several pedal turns and noticed no control hindrance. He then elected to return to Kahului. The helicopter sustained substantial damage, consisting of damaged tail rotor blades and a bent and twisted tail rotor system drive shaft.