Incident Details
A student pilot, who was also the owner of a recently acquired helicopter, experienced a loss of control shortly after lift-off. The pilot had intended to perform a maintenance run-up and an operational check of newly installed radios. According to his account, his plan was to bring the helicopter into a hover while remaining in the same location. However, after becoming airborne, he lost control of the aircraft. The helicopter subsequently touched down hard, rolled over, and came to rest on its side.
Pilot Background
The pilot held a student pilot certificate and had accumulated a total of 88.6 hours of flight time in single-engine airplanes, of which 0.6 hours were solo. He reported having 2.5 hours of experience in the accident helicopter prior to the incident. The helicopter was newly purchased by the pilot.