Bell 407 N652AE accident near Dallas, Texas

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain situational awareness and clearance from the helipad surveillance camera during liftoff.

NTSB analysis

After dropping a patient off, the air medical helicopter departed from the medical center helipad with the pilot and medical crew onboard in night visual meteorological conditions. Video footage depicted the helicopter drift backward as the helicopter lifted off and began a right turn. The climb, turn, and backward drift continued until the tail rotor impacted a helipad surveillance camera which ended the video footage. The pilot subsequently landed on the helipad with substantial damage to the tail rotor blades, tail rotor pitch change links, and left landing skid. The operator reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operations.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN26LA185 for the full record.