Helicopter Hits Hangar Door Chesterfield, MO

**kellyhound** · #1 ● 03-11-2007, 06:12 PM

During takeoff, a helicopter sustained significant damage after its main rotor struck an open hangar door and subsequently crashed to the ground. According to the pilot, the helicopter had been parked about 35 feet away from the hangar, with the bi-fold hangar door opened, extending roughly 10 feet over the ramp. The pilot recounted that during ascent, the aircraft inadvertently veered toward the open door when the passenger in the left front seat accidentally nudged the cyclic's counterweight. Despite his efforts to correct the drift, the main rotor hit the door's lower edge.

"I quickly tried to steer away from the hangar and stabilize the helicopter," the pilot said. However, the helicopter descended rapidly onto the ramp, resulting in a hard landing that caused the skids to collapse and the main rotor to sever the tail boom.

A ground observer captured the incident on video. The footage showed that the helicopter, after a brief hover, began to ascend and then made contact with the door, without any noticeable drift towards the hangar before the collision.

The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that the probable causes of the accident were the pilot's insufficient preflight planning, particularly his choice of an inappropriate takeoff area, and his inability to keep a safe distance from the open hangar door.