Incident Overview
During a demonstration of an autorotation, a helicopter made a hard landing. The aircraft touched down with a slight yaw, approximately 90 degrees from the direction of travel.
Pilot and Passenger Accounts
The pilot reported that during the autorotation, after completing a flare, he added 'max' allowable power to initiate a power recovery. At that point, directional control was lost. The passenger reported that during the autorotation, the pilot stated that 'the spot we would land was visible basically right above the pedals.' The passenger described the touchdown as 'firm.'
Aircraft Damage
Examination of the helicopter revealed that the tailboom forward attachment fitting was fractured. Both tail rotor blades were attached to the hub and fork; however, one blade was found fractured and separated in the spar root area at the end of the hub spindle, and there was a dent in the leading edge near the tip. The tail rotor drive shaft was found twisted and disengaged from the upper pulley aft drive adapter. Examination of the tailboom forward attachment fitting, part number 269A2323, and associated parts found that the fracture surface was 'consistent with an overstress failure.' There were 'no signs of preexisting cracks found.'