Incident Overview
A helicopter pilot reported that, after completing the fourth aerial application flight of the day, he landed the helicopter and positioned it near an autoloader boom truck. He reduced engine power to flight idle, and the ground crew began the loading process. The pilot verified that the collective position was full down and set the cyclic friction to ON before exiting the helicopter to stretch, while maintaining one hand on the cyclic.
Sequence of Events
Immediately after exiting, while standing next to the helicopter, the pilot heard two loud bangs. He quickly boarded the helicopter, the ground crew secured the boom arm, and the pilot shut down the engine. No injuries or other damage were reported.
Inspection and Findings
An examination by the operator's maintenance personnel determined that a main rotor blade had struck the boom arm. The main rotor blades were found to be beyond the repair limitations specified by the manufacturer. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main rotor blades.
Contributing Factors
The director of aerial operations reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Additionally, the director noted that at the accident site, the wind was from 130 degrees at 11 knots, gusting to 19 knots. The helicopter was oriented with a southbound heading.