What happened
The pilot intended to land the helicopter on his sister's property. After circling the area several times, the pilot executed a steep approach. At approximately 10 feet above the tree line, the pilot applied collective to reduce the rate of descent. Following this action, the cabin yawed to the right.
The pilot initially believed the aircraft was experiencing settling with power and attempted to recover by applying additional collective. An FAA inspector noted that the pilot also lowered the nose in an attempt to fly out of the descent. During these maneuvers, the helicopter began to spin and lose altitude. The pilot reported that while attempting to regain control, he exhausted the available collective and throttle. The aircraft impacted the ground and rolled to the right. The pilot was not injured.
The pilot had acquired the aircraft only one day prior to the accident and had recorded 52 flight hours in this specific make and model.