What happened
During an attempted takeoff prior to sunrise, the pilot brought the helicopter into a low hover. Due to minimal outside references available in the low-light conditions, the pilot lost visual reference and entered a right turn. The aircraft rotated 270 degrees before the pilot began taking corrective action.
Prior to touching down, the helicopter continued to rotate another 180 degrees to the right. During the touchdown, the right skid broke off, causing the helicopter to roll over onto its right side. To assist with the pre-sunrise departure, the pilot had a mechanic use a flashlight to illuminate the dual tach.
Following the accident, the pilot stated that while he lowered the collective, he did not roll off the throttle or apply full left pedal input.