Incident Summary
While conducting a cross-country flight, a helicopter entered an uncontrolled flight regime. The student pilot, who was also a passenger, assumed control of the aircraft after the pilot became unresponsive to his inputs. The student pilot successfully regained control of the helicopter. However, just prior to landing, the pilot grabbed the controls, causing the helicopter to again enter uncontrolled flight. The helicopter subsequently impacted the ground on its left side. A fire ensued following the impact.
Post-Accident Actions and Investigation
The student pilot/passenger extricated the pilot from the wreckage after the crash. An investigation into the accident revealed no evidence of preimpact part failure or malfunction. The conditions at the time of the accident were visual bright night conditions.
Additional Details
The helicopter was on a cross-country flight when the incident began. The student pilot's actions in regaining control were noted, but the subsequent intervention by the pilot resulted in a loss of control and the final impact. The fire that followed the impact was extinguished or burned out, though the source does not specify the extent of damage beyond the left-side impact.