Eurocopter AS 350/355/EC130 - Astar/Twinstar/Ecureuil
Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Instrument
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 60; Flight Crew Total 7000; Flight Crew Type 600
Other / Unknown
Conflict Ground Conflict; Critical; Ground Event / Encounter Vehicle
Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Airport; Human Factors
I was requested by Maintenance to move the helicopter from its parking spot to the hangar parking pad. After preflighting the aircraft and obtaining tail clearance to hover taxi I proceeded to hover taxi the aircraft south on the parallel taxiway and turned west on the designated taxiway to the maintenance parking pads. After turning west I noticed a Ford F-150 pick up truck to my front and left moving left to right. I continued almost where the vehicle would cross the taxiway and determined that the vehicle was not going [to] stop. I was hovering at about 5 feet. I performed a quick deceleration and the aircraft climbed about 3 to 4 feet and stopped. I then looked through the chin bubble and saw the vehicle pass beneath me. The vehicle stopped at a maintenance hangar located at the end of the row of hangars and the driver got out and went inside. I then parked the aircraft on the maintenance pad; shutdown the aircraft and went inside the avionics shop to determine why the driver did not give way to me. The driver stated the she didn't see or hear me and seemed amused to the fact that she had not seen or heard me. The driver also stated she was not familiar with the airport markings for taxiways and was not familiar with any rules of movement of vehicles while on the airport grounds.
Helicopter pilot reports a near collision with a vehicle during air taxi via taxiway. A quick pull up avoids contact; with the vehicle passing five feet below. The driver stated that she did not see or hear the helicopter and was not familiar with the airport markings for taxiways and was not familiar with any rules of movement of vehicles while on the airport grounds.