Narrative:

The photo flight was briefed, and the purpose for the flight were photos of the aircraft for our company brochure. This was not a flight for hire, it was being conducted under far part 91 rules and regulations. The locations had been flown the previous day by both pilots and discussed as to position of the object aircraft. Photographers were briefed as to the particular type photos needed to include some stock shots of the aircraft in flight. I gave a safety briefing to my passengers then we boarded the aircraft. Radio contact was established between aircraft on company FM by both pilots. My aircraft ocn was in trail of first oef as this was not a formation flight. Ocn moved to a parallel course left and above oef to obtain a few photos of oef in flight. A radio call on company FM was made to alert pilot of oef of the position of photo aircraft, 'I'm on your left side and high'. I did not receive a reply to this call, but felt the pilot heard the call and just didn't reply since he was doing his narration for the tour. I flew straight on a parallel course with a slight climb, to the left and above, watching oef out the right side and down. Oef must have descended and fell out of my field of vision. The next time I saw oef was when the right rear quadrant of the rotor disk (one main rotor blade) struck my left front skid. I called to oef on company FM a couple times right after this, but got no reply. I followed oef on down as he landed and landed next to him, again I called several times on company FM but got no reply. Oef was shut down, I got out of ocn briefly talked to pilot about what happened, he indicated he never experienced any control problems, I looked over oef, the damage seemed minor, so I flew the aircraft back to the airport. En route, oef flew fine, it just seem like the main rotor blades needed tracking, I called on company FM, had the aircraft trailer standing by, I landed the aircraft on the trailer with no problems and had oef taken to the hangar for closer inspection. Ocn was also put on a trailer and taken to the hangar for inspection. While discussing what took place, pilot #2 and I felt this was an incident and we had some time before making a report. This is the first time anything has happened to me in 21 yrs of flying. Within 2 hours of this incident I received a call from the police dispatch alerting me to call the FAA, honolulu, which I did immediately. Supplemental information from acn 149823. I departed first on the normal flight path and began my oral narration. The photos were to be taken at a site 30 mins into the flight. The second aircraft did begin to take photos 3 mins into the flight. At no time during the flight did I obtain visibility contact with the second aircraft. Approximately 5 mins into the flight my aircraft came in contact with the second aircraft. The damage to my aircraft was to the rotor system. The second aircraft lost approximately 1 1/2' of its left front skid. We both landed immediately and after a short discussion switched aircraft. My visibility inspection of ocn (the new aircraft I was to fly) verified the findings of the second pilot (the company a & P), ocn was airworthy. Both aircraft returned to the point of origin. There were no injuries on either aircraft. I have two recommendations to prevent a repeat of type of incident. First, an even more detailed preflight briefing to include exactly when the second aircraft would begin photographing. The second would be to not close on my aircraft until positive radio contact had been made and constant position reports passed on. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information. Reporter states hindsight is always wonderful. Now feels he should have flown the second copter back with only himself on board. FAA is claiming aircraft not airworthy (ctlable), but he was able to land it on a truck bed that is exactly the width of the skids so he certainly was able to control it. Incident reported by two youngsters who were aboard to their father who called the tower, who called wash dc. States he thinks second pilot just tuned out company communication when giving his tour lecture as everyone else could hear rptrs conversation.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TWO HELICOPTERS ON AIR TOUR AND PHOTO MISSION COLLIDE. PRECAUTIONARY LNDG.

Narrative: THE PHOTO FLT WAS BRIEFED, AND THE PURPOSE FOR THE FLT WERE PHOTOS OF THE ACFT FOR OUR COMPANY BROCHURE. THIS WAS NOT A FLT FOR HIRE, IT WAS BEING CONDUCTED UNDER FAR PART 91 RULES AND REGS. THE LOCATIONS HAD BEEN FLOWN THE PREVIOUS DAY BY BOTH PLTS AND DISCUSSED AS TO POS OF THE OBJECT ACFT. PHOTOGRAPHERS WERE BRIEFED AS TO THE PARTICULAR TYPE PHOTOS NEEDED TO INCLUDE SOME STOCK SHOTS OF THE ACFT IN FLT. I GAVE A SAFETY BRIEFING TO MY PAXS THEN WE BOARDED THE ACFT. RADIO CONTACT WAS ESTABLISHED BTWN ACFT ON COMPANY FM BY BOTH PLTS. MY ACFT OCN WAS IN TRAIL OF FIRST OEF AS THIS WAS NOT A FORMATION FLT. OCN MOVED TO A PARALLEL COURSE L AND ABOVE OEF TO OBTAIN A FEW PHOTOS OF OEF IN FLT. A RADIO CALL ON COMPANY FM WAS MADE TO ALERT PLT OF OEF OF THE POS OF PHOTO ACFT, 'I'M ON YOUR L SIDE AND HIGH'. I DID NOT RECEIVE A REPLY TO THIS CALL, BUT FELT THE PLT HEARD THE CALL AND JUST DIDN'T REPLY SINCE HE WAS DOING HIS NARRATION FOR THE TOUR. I FLEW STRAIGHT ON A PARALLEL COURSE WITH A SLIGHT CLB, TO THE L AND ABOVE, WATCHING OEF OUT THE R SIDE AND DOWN. OEF MUST HAVE DSNDED AND FELL OUT OF MY FIELD OF VISION. THE NEXT TIME I SAW OEF WAS WHEN THE R REAR QUADRANT OF THE ROTOR DISK (ONE MAIN ROTOR BLADE) STRUCK MY L FRONT SKID. I CALLED TO OEF ON COMPANY FM A COUPLE TIMES R AFTER THIS, BUT GOT NO REPLY. I FOLLOWED OEF ON DOWN AS HE LANDED AND LANDED NEXT TO HIM, AGAIN I CALLED SEVERAL TIMES ON COMPANY FM BUT GOT NO REPLY. OEF WAS SHUT DOWN, I GOT OUT OF OCN BRIEFLY TALKED TO PLT ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED, HE INDICATED HE NEVER EXPERIENCED ANY CTL PROBS, I LOOKED OVER OEF, THE DAMAGE SEEMED MINOR, SO I FLEW THE ACFT BACK TO THE ARPT. ENRTE, OEF FLEW FINE, IT JUST SEEM LIKE THE MAIN ROTOR BLADES NEEDED TRACKING, I CALLED ON COMPANY FM, HAD THE ACFT TRAILER STANDING BY, I LANDED THE ACFT ON THE TRAILER WITH NO PROBS AND HAD OEF TAKEN TO THE HANGAR FOR CLOSER INSPECTION. OCN WAS ALSO PUT ON A TRAILER AND TAKEN TO THE HANGAR FOR INSPECTION. WHILE DISCUSSING WHAT TOOK PLACE, PLT #2 AND I FELT THIS WAS AN INCIDENT AND WE HAD SOME TIME BEFORE MAKING A RPT. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME ANYTHING HAS HAPPENED TO ME IN 21 YRS OF FLYING. WITHIN 2 HRS OF THIS INCIDENT I RECEIVED A CALL FROM THE POLICE DISPATCH ALERTING ME TO CALL THE FAA, HONOLULU, WHICH I DID IMMEDIATELY. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 149823. I DEPARTED FIRST ON THE NORMAL FLT PATH AND BEGAN MY ORAL NARRATION. THE PHOTOS WERE TO BE TAKEN AT A SITE 30 MINS INTO THE FLT. THE SECOND ACFT DID BEGIN TO TAKE PHOTOS 3 MINS INTO THE FLT. AT NO TIME DURING THE FLT DID I OBTAIN VIS CONTACT WITH THE SECOND ACFT. APPROX 5 MINS INTO THE FLT MY ACFT CAME IN CONTACT WITH THE SECOND ACFT. THE DAMAGE TO MY ACFT WAS TO THE ROTOR SYS. THE SECOND ACFT LOST APPROX 1 1/2' OF ITS LEFT FRONT SKID. WE BOTH LANDED IMMEDIATELY AND AFTER A SHORT DISCUSSION SWITCHED ACFT. MY VIS INSPECTION OF OCN (THE NEW ACFT I WAS TO FLY) VERIFIED THE FINDINGS OF THE SECOND PLT (THE COMPANY A & P), OCN WAS AIRWORTHY. BOTH ACFT RETURNED TO THE POINT OF ORIGIN. THERE WERE NO INJURIES ON EITHER ACFT. I HAVE TWO RECOMMENDATIONS TO PREVENT A REPEAT OF TYPE OF INCIDENT. FIRST, AN EVEN MORE DETAILED PREFLT BRIEFING TO INCLUDE EXACTLY WHEN THE SECOND ACFT WOULD BEGIN PHOTOGRAPHING. THE SECOND WOULD BE TO NOT CLOSE ON MY ACFT UNTIL POSITIVE RADIO CONTACT HAD BEEN MADE AND CONSTANT POS RPTS PASSED ON. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO. RPTR STATES HINDSIGHT IS ALWAYS WONDERFUL. NOW FEELS HE SHOULD HAVE FLOWN THE SECOND COPTER BACK WITH ONLY HIMSELF ON BOARD. FAA IS CLAIMING ACFT NOT AIRWORTHY (CTLABLE), BUT HE WAS ABLE TO LAND IT ON A TRUCK BED THAT IS EXACTLY THE WIDTH OF THE SKIDS SO HE CERTAINLY WAS ABLE TO CTL IT. INCIDENT RPTED BY TWO YOUNGSTERS WHO WERE ABOARD TO THEIR FATHER WHO CALLED THE TWR, WHO CALLED WASH DC. STATES HE THINKS SECOND PLT JUST TUNED OUT COMPANY COM WHEN GIVING HIS TOUR LECTURE AS EVERYONE ELSE COULD HEAR RPTRS CONVERSATION.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.