What happened
During a session of practicing landings, the pilot attempted to stop a ground run by centering the cyclic and lowering the collective. Following this maneuver, the helicopter began to vibrate significantly. In response to the vibration, the pilot centered the cyclic, rolled off the throttle, and confirmed that the collective was in the lowered position.
Despite these actions, the vibrations continued, causing the rotor blades to strike the ground. The impact caused the saddle fuel tank to separate from the aircraft, which subsequently initiated a fire. The pilot successfully evacuated the helicopter before the flames consumed the entire aircraft. The pilot was not injured.
The investigation
A post-accident inspection of the helicopter and its components that were not destroyed by the fire was conducted. This examination failed to reveal any mechanical failure or malfunction that would have resulted in the accident.