What happened
During an early morning traffic watch mission during rush hour, the helicopter was flying at approximately 500 feet AGL and 20 knots when the engine failed. The pilot initiated an autorotation toward a nearby parking lot.
As the pilot approached the landing site, they observed the lights of a vehicle entering the parking lot. Due to the presence of other parked cars in the area, the pilot decided to shorten the approach path to land in an alternate location. Upon reaching the new landing area, the rotor blades lacked sufficient inertia to cushion the touchdown. This resulted in a hard landing that caused damage to the aircraft's undercarriage.
The investigation
An examination of the engine revealed that the crankshaft failed between the #2 and #3 cheeks. At the time of the accident, the engine had a total operational time of 2,373 hours, with 998 hours of operation recorded since its last overhaul.