Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to maintain adequate clearance from a parked helicopter while hovering to reposition for takeoff.
NTSB analysis
While hovering from the helicopter pad to reposition for takeoff, the pilot backed up the helicopter. During a pedal turn, the tail rotor contacted another helicopter’s main rotor blades, which was parked and located behind on another pad. The pilot reported she felt a strong jolt to the left, and the helicopter began to spin. The pilot lowered the collective, reduced throttle, and the helicopter came to rest upright adjacent to the helicopter pad.
The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the tail boom. The operator reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.
Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN21LA456 for the full record.
Event
- Date
- Sep 25, 2021
- Type
- Accident
- Place
- Patterson, Louisiana
- Nearest airport
- Harry P Williams Meml (PTN)
- Highest injury
- None
- Weather
- Visual (VMC)
- Light
- Day
Bell 407
- N-number
- N662RL
- Category
- Helicopter
- Year built
- 1997
- Damage
- Substantial
- Operating rule
- Part 135 (charter and commuter)
- Purpose of flight
- Business
From the NTSB aviation accident database: N-registered aircraft, events since 2008, data through Oct 28, 2026. The file is published monthly, so the latest weeks are incomplete and recent records can change. The official source is the NTSB aviation investigation search. CheckAero is independent and not affiliated with the NTSB.