Incident Overview
A helicopter pilot took off after passengers had deplaned, intending to fly to a nearby airport to refuel. Approximately 30 to 40 seconds into the climb, while accelerating to about 100 knots, the pilot began adjusting power for level flight. At that moment, the engine lost power. The pilot attempted to restore engine power but was unsuccessful.
Emergency Landing
The pilot turned back to land in a large field that had just been overflown. During autorotation, the engine stabilized at idle RPM but would not respond to throttle inputs. The pilot observed power lines in the autorotation path and decided to cross over a creek and a row of trees to land in another field. However, the helicopter lacked sufficient altitude to clear the trees. It struck the trees and crash landed on a creek bank.
Post-Crash Examination
After landing, the engine was still running. It was shut down using the fuel shut-off switch. The aft fuel cell was punctured during impact, so the amount of fuel onboard could not be determined. A post-crash check confirmed the engine operated, but impact damage prevented running it at high RPM. No preimpact part failure or malfunction was verified.
Findings
No determination of the engine power loss cause was possible due to impact damage. The pilot's actions in attempting to avoid power lines and trees were a response to the emergency.