BH206 helicopter pilot did not disconnect the battery cart before liftoff.

Attributes
ACN	634101
Time
Date	200410
Day	Sun
Local Time Of Day	1201 To 1800
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Weather Elements	Rain
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air taxi
Make Model Name	Jet Ranger III
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 135
Flight Phase	climbout : takeoff ground : preflight
Flight Plan	VFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : single pilot
Qualification	pilot : instrument pilot : commercial
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 65 flight time total : 4938 flight time type : 2693
ASRS Report	634101
Person 2
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Events
Anomaly	non adherence : published procedure non adherence : company policies
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : detected after the fact
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

Received a call. Crew and myself went to aircraft. Crew hooked up battery cart, I started aircraft and thought I had given the unhook signal to crew member as he was unhooking heater and lines. Ran up aircraft, turned all radios on. Crew was in the aircraft at this time. Lifted off and started hovering out and nose of aircraft pulled down. I stopped and realized that the cart was still hooked up. Returned to pad and found cart overturned and plug on cart broken. Aircraft was checked. No damage was found. Cause: complacency. Corrective actions: keep a crew member at the cart till start is completed and unhook signal is given then unhook landlines, and heaters.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BH206 HELI PLT DID NOT DISCONNECT THE BATTERY CART BEFORE LIFTOFF.

Narrative: RECEIVED A CALL. CREW AND MYSELF WENT TO ACFT. CREW HOOKED UP BATTERY CART, I STARTED ACFT AND THOUGHT I HAD GIVEN THE UNHOOK SIGNAL TO CREW MEMBER AS HE WAS UNHOOKING HEATER AND LINES. RAN UP ACFT, TURNED ALL RADIOS ON. CREW WAS IN THE ACFT AT THIS TIME. LIFTED OFF AND STARTED HOVERING OUT AND NOSE OF ACFT PULLED DOWN. I STOPPED AND REALIZED THAT THE CART WAS STILL HOOKED UP. RETURNED TO PAD AND FOUND CART OVERTURNED AND PLUG ON CART BROKEN. ACFT WAS CHKED. NO DAMAGE WAS FOUND. CAUSE: COMPLACENCY. CORRECTIVE ACTIONS: KEEP A CREW MEMBER AT THE CART TILL START IS COMPLETED AND UNHOOK SIGNAL IS GIVEN THEN UNHOOK LANDLINES, AND HEATERS.

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.