Helicopter
Flight Crew Multiengine; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Rotorcraft
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 45; Flight Crew Total 6200; Flight Crew Type 850
Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown
Conflict NMAC; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
General None Reported / Taken
Human Factors
While taking off from a helipad and climbing to 400 to 500 feet AGL; I contacted Quad City Approach and received a new squawk code when the aircraft TCAS alert went off. As I was responding to Quad City Approach I saw an airliner fly above us. I was advised by Quad City the airliner passed over us by 300 feet. I estimate we were approximately 1100 to 1200 feet MSL when we had the airliner fly 300 feet above our helicopter.Radio contact with Quad City approach when taking off from the helipad is best if we can get a little altitude. It is not normally in the approach path of aircraft coming into MLI so it has never been a safety issue to contact ATC shortly after liftoff. The airliner must have been on Quad City tower frequency and I was on Quad City Approach frequency.
Helicopter pilot reported a NMAC with an airliner in the vicinity of MLI airport.