Incident Details
A helicopter operating with its doors removed to facilitate passenger boarding and exit experienced a tail rotor strike from an unsecured headset. The pilot had demonstrated headset use during the safety briefing but did not instruct passengers to stow headsets in the pouch after landing or inform them of the risks posed by loose items in a doors-off configuration.
After transporting two passengers to a work site, the right rear passenger placed the headset on a hook behind the front seats before exiting. Approximately three to five minutes after departure, while en route at an elevation of about 1,000 feet above ground level, the pilot felt an impact on the helicopter. Upon landing, inspection revealed the right rear headset missing, damage to the tail rotor leading edge, and a slightly egg-shaped tail rotor drive shaft at its aft end.