What happened
On September 9, 2015, an Airbus AS350, registration N253HP, was engaged in a high-altitude rescue mission in remote, steep terrain near Draper, Utah. The mission, intended to recover a fallen hiker, utilized a one-skid recovery technique.
A three-person ground recovery team was present at the site. One team member had secured himself to a rescue rope that was anchored to steep terrain located above the plane of rotation of the main rotor blades. After the helicopter's right skid was placed on a rock outcrop, the ground team began approaching the aircraft to start the loading process. During this approach, the rescue rope made contact with a main rotor blade.
The pilot reported that the contact caused the helicopter to rotate abruptly to the left and shake violently. The aircraft impacted the terrain, but the pilot was able to regain control and perform an emergency landing at a lower altitude. During the subsequent landing, the pilot noted that the aircraft began shaking violently again upon applying power until the collective pitch was reduced and the aircraft touched down. There were no injuries resulting from the event.
The investigation
A postflight inspection of the N253HP revealed substantial damage to the empennage, the tail boom, and the main rotor system. The pilot stated that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions involving the engine or airframe prior to the impact that would have prevented normal operation.