What happened
The incident occurred while a student pilot was practicing landing maneuvers. The pilot successfully completed two uneventful quick stops prior to the event. During the third attempt, the pilot lowered the collective control excessively while the aircraft had no forward motion, resulting in a hard landing.
Upon impact, the helicopter's tail rotor struck the surface of the taxiway. This contact caused physical deformation to the airframe, specifically pushing outward the aft portion of the helicopter's landing skid.
The investigation
A post-accident examination of the helicopter was conducted to determine the mechanical status of the aircraft prior to the event. The inspection did not reveal any pre-existing malfunctions or failures that would have contributed to the accident. Additionally, the pilot reported no mechanical issues or anomalies during the flight.
Findings
The pilot possessed a total of 20.6 hours of flight experience in helicopters. All of this experience was accumulated specifically in the make and model of the aircraft involved in the incident. The primary factor leading to the damage was the excessive lowering of the collective control during a stationary landing phase.