S-76/S-76 Mark II
Flight Crew Rotorcraft; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Glider; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Commercial
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 25; Flight Crew Total 5000; Flight Crew Type 400
Situational Awareness; Communication Breakdown
Conflict NMAC; Conflict Airborne Conflict; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Clearance
Flight Crew Became Reoriented; Flight Crew Took Evasive Action
Procedure; Human Factors
I was returning to VNY empty with no passengers or crew on board from a routine charter flight.  After being handed off from BUR; I called VNY Tower and requested a Stagg (East Side) approach landing Northwest Corner.  Tower called out traffic at my 12 o'clock.  I called traffic in sight.  There was traffic moving north from the NE corner of the field just north of the Stagg routing.  Tower informed me to fall in behind the traffic which I proceeded to do.  Upon turning inbound on Stagg; I heard a helicopter call out to Tower that an S76 is cutting across in front of him.  At this point I realized something was amiss and I may have identified the wrong aircraft.  Both aircraft proceeded on their way without further incident.  I have spoken with the pilot of the other aircraft and they tell me they had me in sight the whole time but needed to deviate course when I turned inbound.  I realize now that the aircraft was below me on approach and at night blended in with the ground clutter.  Also it was on my left side and low most of the time which is a blind spot for single pilot operations in this aircraft.  I don't know that the Controller could have handled things differently other than perhaps realizing my course was not going to take me behind the other aircraft and giving me vectors.  He probably could not have discerned the slight difference in course that would have put me in front or behind the traffic.  The aircraft I was flying has no TCAS.  I think TCAS would have prevented the situation and resolved the confusion between the two aircraft if we had it installed.  I would have realized there was a second target in the area.  I have asked that the company install a TCAS system in this aircraft to help prevent future similar issues.  In addition; I will be more diligent with defensive procedures for traffic identification and avoidance.
S76 pilot reports misidentifying the traffic he is to follow to the airport and cuts in front of another helicopter during a night visual to VNY.