Accident Overview
While conducting a sight-seeing flight over a park, the pilot heard a loud noise and the helicopter shuddered and lost power. At that time, the aircraft was over a canyon, so the pilot looked for the flattest area to land and began an autorotation.
Landing and Damage
During the landing, the helicopter bounced instead of sliding. Subsequently, the skids bent, the tail rotor struck the ground, and the main rotor blades hit the tail boom. The damage was limited to these components.
Investigation Findings
An investigation revealed that the engine failed after a connecting rod bolt had failed. No further details regarding the bolt failure were provided in the source.