Bell 206B N866H accident near Spring, Texas

Probable cause

The pilot's distraction by a cell phone call, which led to his failure to perform an exterior check of the helicopter and resulted in a tie-down strap remaining attached to the main rotor during the engine start.

NTSB analysis

The pilot reported that he completed the preflight inspection of the helicopter while it was still in the hangar and that it was then moved onto the ramp. When the pilot arrived to start the helicopter, he was distracted by a cell phone call and did not perform an exterior check of the helicopter. The main rotor tie-down was still attached to the main rotor when the pilot engaged the engine. He was monitoring the cockpit gauges during the engine start when he noticed an individual approaching the helicopter waving his hands. He then heard a "thump," and he initiated an emergency shutdown. He reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. The examination of the helicopter revealed that the tie-down strap had broken during the engine start and had gotten caught on the tail rotor output shaft, which resulted in substantial damage to the tail boom, tail rotor blades, and vertical fin.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN14LA465 for the full record.