HELI AIR TAXIED AT ELEVATION OF 50 FT AGL UNTIL OVER FUELING AREA AND HOVERED DOWN. POSTFLT; OWNER OF PARKED ACFT COMPLAINED OF DAMAGE TO HIS PARKED ACFT FROM THE HELI ROTOR WASH.
Synopsis
HELI AIR TAXIED AT ELEVATION OF 50 FT AGL UNTIL OVER FUELING AREA AND HOVERED DOWN. POSTFLT; OWNER OF PARKED ACFT COMPLAINED OF DAMAGE TO HIS PARKED ACFT FROM THE HELI ROTOR WASH.
Narrative
I ARRIVED AT THE PLT'S QUARTERS EARLY AS USUAL IN PREPARATION TO RELIEVE THE DAY PLT. UPON CONTACTING DISPATCH I WAS INFORMED THAT THE ACFT AND CREW WERE ENRTE TO THE HOSPITAL; RETURNING FROM A FLT FROM ZZZ. PLT HAD ASKED THE DISPATCHER TO INFORM ME OF THEIR ETA AND ASK ME IF I WOULD BE WILLING TO FLY THE ACFT TO XYZ EXECUTIVE ARPT FOR REFUELING TO WHICH I READILY SAID YES. UPON THEIR ARR AT THE HELIPAD THE CTLS WERE LOCKED DOWN AND PLT BRIEFED ME ON THE ACFT STATUS AND THE DAYS EVENTS. AT THIS TIME I BOARDED THE ACFT; COMPLETED A COCKPIT CHK AND RETURNED THE THROTTLES TO FULL FLY POS. AFTER RECEIVING A CLRNC FROM EXECUTIVE TWR; I DEPARTED THE HELIPAD AND PROCEEDED DIRECT TO THE ARPT. MY APCH WAS TO RWY 13 TO N ALT OF 100 FT; THEN AIRTAXI ALONG TAXIWAY HOTEL TO AN ALT OF 500 FT THEN TO TAXIWAY FOXTROT AND ALONG FOXTROT AT 50 FT UNTIL ABOVE THE REFUELING SPOT AND STRAIGHT DOWN TO THE GND. THIS IS MY NORMAL APCH AND HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN SAFE AND UNEVENTFUL. AFTER LNDG AND SHUTDOWN; I NOTICED A MAN APCHING THE HELI. HE THEN INFORMED ME THAT I HAD JUST DAMAGED 2 OF HIS AIRPLANES WITH MY ROTOR WASH. UPON INSPECTION OF HIS AIRPLANES I DID SEE SOME AREAS THAT WERE IN FACT DAMAGED. AN EYEWITNESS SAID HE SAW ONE OF THE AIRPLANES TURN ABOUT 45 DEG AND STRIKE THE OTHER AIRPLANE. THIS MAN HAS COMPLAINED TO ARPT OPS PREVIOUSLY ABOUT HELIS LNDG IN THIS SAME SPOT. HIS RAMP IS IMMEDIATELY NEXT TO TAXIWAY FOXTROT WHICH IS THE ONLY WAY ONTO THE FBO RAMP. FOR THIS REASON I HAVE ALWAYS USED AN EXTREMELY HIGH HOVER PAST HIS HANGAR. APPROX 50 FT. OF THE 2 AIRPLANES ON HIS RAMP ONLY 1 WAS TIED DOWN. THE UNTIED AIRPLANE WAS POINTING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF THE AIRPLANE THAT WAS TIED DOWN; THE UNTIED AIRPLANE TURNED ABOUT 45 DEG TO THE R; IT'S VERT STABILIZER STRIKING THE L WING TIP OF THE OTHER AIRPLANE. ALSO THE ELEVATOR OF THE UNTIED AIRPLANE STRUCK THE GND; BENDING THE L REAR CORNER. DAMAGE TO 1 WAS ON THE L WING TIP IN FRONT OF THE NAV LIGHT ABOUT THE SIZE OF A BASEBALL. DAMAGE TO 2 WAS TO THE L SIDE OF THE VERT STABILIZER ABOUT 5 INCHES LONG VERTICALLY AND 1/2 INCH WIDE. ALSO TO THE L REAR CORNER OF THE ELEVATOR ABOUT 4 INCHES LONG LATERALLY AND ABOUT 1/2 INCH WIDE.
Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.