SA 365 Dauphin 2
Flight Crew Commercial
Situational Awareness
Ground Event / Encounter Vehicle
Human Factors
We arrived prior to the required show time and set up for our high recon; and during that high recon I noted a white van blocking the drive to the helipad on the north end; and a white pickup truck blocking drive to helipad on the south end; additionally there is the standard large emergency generator located NW of helipad. Wind was predominantly out of the SE; but shifting with the counter clockwise motion of the weather pattern. I continued around to set up for a steep approach from the NW to the SE to take advantage of the wind.  Rate of closure was slow; and descent rate was our 200 ft FPM. From my perspective; approach was normal. At the bottom; with shifting winds and ingestion of aircraft's own rotor wash; there was the standard yaw back and forth. I finished DFL (Daily Flight Log) and started new line on DFL with all the items I could pre-fill out (weight and balance; start; pilot; and number on board as well as departure point) in case we were called out for a medical flight. I then put log book up. Meantime crew had gotten out; put wheel chalks down; and were trying to figure out what we were supposed to do.  If memory serves me; we had some staff come up to ask questions about the aircraft; and I was talking to one staff member when a security guard came up; so I walked over to him and he told me something to the effect 'You know you hit the van' to which I was taken aback and said something like no; I felt nothing - did I damage the van? He replied; something to the effect of we don't care about the van. This all occurred approximately 10 or 15 minutes after we had been on the ground. I told him I would look at the aircraft. I failed to mention [I] had already done my post flight walk around and had not noted anything out of the ordinary after I finally got out of the aircraft. I immediately went back to the back of the aircraft and re looked at the tail section and the tail stinger.  I noted no indication of a strike. The van was all white and; since we are predominately black; I looked at it to see if I could see any indication that I had hit it and could not note any marks that would have given me that indication. So here was my quandary; what to do next. I could see no physical evidence of a having hit the van on either the aircraft or the van. Do I call a mechanic? I kept going back to look at tail; tail stinger; wheels of aircraft; etc. I could not see anything.  My thought process turned to treating like a bird strike for non-moving portions of aircraft and clearing it for RTS (Return to Service). My rationale was I felt this individual who approached may have thought it appeared that I hit the vehicle from his angle or perspective; and I did not feel during the approach; nor see any indication that there was in fact; contact. The following day; I accepted an IFR Flight. Once back; Mechanic noted lens cover for aft tail light broken on A Check. He showed me. When replacing with new cover; he noted small chip in lower right underneath portion of tail cone along with a rub mark above that. Repairs were made.
AS-365 Captain reported contact with a van on landing at a hospital helipad.