There was a thread posted here on a Bell 407 based in Cape Town South Africa that was recently involved in an incident whereby the tail rotor contacted the tailboom during shutdown in gusty conditions.
The SACAA viewed this incident in a serious light, but Bell did'nt. As expected, they blamed the pilot and issued an Information Letter (IL 206L-04-75) dated April 05, 2004 whereby they stress the importance of adhering to the shutdown procedures in the 407 Manual.
What Bell is saying that the pilot did not have the collective in the full down position, neither did he have the pedals and the cyclic centered. Now this is utter bullsh1t! The pilot is a pro, and followed the shutdown procedure impeccably.
What Bell is neglecting to tell us, is that their 407 is riddled with problems, but its the usual old story, "one upmanship". Had the incident occurred in flight and the tail boom maybe seperated from the rest of the frame, the occupants would have been statistics, and the pilot would more than likely have been blamed, as usual.
Shame on you Bell!
