A ROBINSON R22 HELI WAS MAINT FERRIED WITHOUT AN APPROVED FAA FERRY PERMIT.

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I WORK AT A HELI COMPANY AS A PLT/INSTRUCTOR AND MECH. A RENTER PLT HAD A HARD LNDG AT A NEARBY GRAVEL PIT. HE CALLED ME TO COME AND LOOK AT THE HELI. I FLEW A DIFFERENT HELI TO THE SITE AND UPON ARR; I FOUND THAT THE HELI HAD A BENT VERT BRACE TO WHICH THE LNDG GEAR IS BOLTED. PLT INFORMED ME THAT HE HAD CALLED THE FAA AND THEY TOLD HIM TO CALL BACK AFTER A MECH LOOKED AT THE ACFT AND IF IT HAD SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE. I INSPECTED THE HELI THOROUGHLY AND FOUND NO OTHER DAMAGE. I DETERMINED THAT THE DAMAGED PART WAS NOT ESSENTIAL FOR FLT AND WOULD NOT AFFECT THE FLT CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HELI. I HAD ALSO DETERMINED THAT THE HELI COULD BE SAFELY FLOWN BACK TO OUR HANGAR WHICH WAS A 5 MIN FLT. AT THAT TIME THERE WAS A SEVERE TSTM APCHING AND BECAUSE FOR THE PAST FEW DAYS WE HAVE HAD SEVERE TSTMS WITH HIGH WINDS AND HAIL; I FEARED FOR FURTHER DAMAGE TO THE HELI. WITH IT BEING SUNDAY; AND NOBODY AT THE GRAVEL PIT FOR US TO LOAD THE HELI ON A TRAILER; THE APCHING STORM; DEALING WITH AN UPSET PLT; AND CONSIDERING THE DAMAGE NOT TO BE SUBSTANTIAL; I DECIDED TO FLY THE HELI BACK TO OUR HANGAR. LATER THAT AFTERNOON; I RECEIVED A PHONE CALL FROM THE FAA AND I TOLD HIM ABOUT THE DAMAGE AND THAT I FLEW THE HELI BACK TO OUR HANGAR. THE INSPECTOR THEN TOLD ME THAT THERE MIGHT BE AN ISSUE AS REGARDS A FERRY PERMIT AND HE WOULD BE OUT TO INSPECT THE HELI THE NEXT DAY. I THEN TOLD THE INSPECTOR THAT DUE TO THE CIRCUMSTANCES AT THE TIME; I HAD OVERLOOKED THE FACT THAT I MIGHT NEED A FERRY PERMIT. THE NEXT DAY THE INSPECTOR LOOKED AT THE ACFT AND SAID THAT IN HIS OPINION; THE BENT PART WOULD BE CONSIDERED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE AND HE WOULD RPT THIS AS AN ACCIDENT RATHER THAN AN INCIDENT. THE INSPECTOR ALSO SAID THAT HE WOULD HAVE ISSUED A FERRY PERMIT HAD I CALLED HIM. I FEEL THE THINGS THAT CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ACFT BEING FLOWN WITHOUT A FERRY PERMIT ARE: 1) THE APCHING STORM WITH POSSIBLE FURTHER DAMAGE TO ACFT. 2) THE VAGUENESS OF THE CONVERSATION BTWN THE PLT AND FAA; LEAVING THE DECISION OF SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO ME (THE MECH). 3) DEALING WITH UPSET PLT (A DISTR). 4) OBTAINING A FERRY PERMIT IS NOT AN EVERYDAY OCCURRENCE; SO THEREFORE EASILY OVERLOOKED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR SAID THE DAMAGE WAS 1 BENT VERT BRACE TO WHICH THE LEADING GEAR IS BOLTED. THE RPTR STATED IT WAS MINOR DAMAGE AND BELIEVE THE INSPECTOR WAS MAINLY UPSET THAT NO PHONE CALL WAS RECEIVED ASKING FOR A FERRY PERMIT. THE RPTR SAID THERE WAS A SHORT TIME TO MOVE THE ACFT AS SEVERE TSTMS WITH HAIL AND HIGH WINDS WERE APCHING THE AREA AND MAY DAMAGE THE ACFT. THE RPTR STATED FINDING A TELEPHONE IN A GRAVEL PIT ON SUNDAY WAS IMPOSSIBLE AND HE ELECTED TO FLY THE MACHINE OUT IMMEDIATELY.