What happened
A flight crew was engaged in hovering practice from a movable helipad for approximately 30 minutes prior to the accident. During this training period, the first pilot completed five vertical lift-offs and landings.
Following the final landing, a second pilot boarded the helicopter and took a seat in the left front position. As the second pilot initiated a lift-off into a hover, the aircraft began to drift to the right, moving off the helipad. Although the first pilot reported that both pilots applied full left cyclic input, the second pilot was unable to use the proper flight controls to arrest the drift. Consequently, the main rotor blade made contact with the asphalt ramp surface, causing the helicopter to roll over. Both pilots involved had only accumulated 2 flight hours in this specific aircraft make and model. There were no injuries reported.
The investigation
An examination of the helicopter was conducted, which revealed no evidence of any failures within the flight control system.