Flight Crew Commercial; Flight Crew Flight Instructor; Flight Crew Instrument; Flight Crew Multiengine; Other Rotorcraft - Helicopter
Flight Crew Last 90 Days 95; Flight Crew Total 17000; Flight Crew Type 5000
Communication Breakdown; Confusion; Distraction; Situational Awareness
Conflict NMAC
General None Reported / Taken
Procedure; Human Factors; ATC Equipment / Nav Facility / Buildings
After lifting from fuel pump area located midfield west side making a 90 degree clearing turn; and hover taxiing toward my departure point; a grass area just west of the runway's parallel taxi way; I announced my location and departure intentions on Unicom frequency. Just before my departure radio call we heard radio chatter by an aircraft in the pattern whose transmission/intentions were garbled and unclear. It is important to note that upon our initial arrival; a few minutes prior the favored runway was the one I was using. With that in mind; I started my northwest departure takeoff run parallel and adjacent to the runway. The west side of taxi way crossing the extended center line f an intersecting runway displaced threshold. At that moment my rear crew member alerted me that a Piper Twin was very close and approaching off our left side which I did not observe until it had passed over and just behind us and was about to touch down on the intersecting runway which we had just crossed the extended centerline of during our departure.From my observation as well as my 2 crew members; it appeared the Piper Twin landed without incident and made no evasive actions. No evasive action was taken by either aircraft and we observed the Piper Twin landing normally. Radio calls on Unicom were made between us immediately after the occurrence; recognizing the miscommunication and confusion of our positions and intentions; we then continued on to our next destination. Contributing factors were an uncontrolled airport with no declared active runway based on current wind direction. Garbled radio calls from aircraft in the pattern. Radio and intercom chatter in and out of our cockpit. Helicopter line of sight to the west southwest during clearing turn and initial takeoff run was blocked by fuel tanks; Fixed Base Operator building and distant tree line; therefore was not able to see the approaching Piper Twin. I was not aware which runway was currently the favored runway.
A helicopter pilot departing a non towered airport reported a NMAC with an arriving aircraft.