Accident Details
A student pilot was performing a magneto check while the helicopter was exposed to a 90-degree gusty crosswind. As the pilot raised the collective for the check, the helicopter began to wobble and subsequently rolled over. The helicopter had been parked on terrain that sloped away from the wind.
The student pilot reported attempting to move the cyclic into the wind to control the wobbling, but the collective had been tightened with friction to a degree that prevented movement while she was raising the collective for the magneto check.
Checklist Discrepancies
The FAA-approved checklist for the helicopter specified that both cyclic and collective frictions should be removed prior to conducting a magneto check. However, the operator's checklist did not require the removal of cyclic friction before the magneto check.
Operator Policy
The operator reported that students were taught never to tighten the cyclic or collective friction to a degree that would prevent the controls from being moved if needed. Despite this training, the student pilot had applied friction to the collective that hindered its movement during the critical phase of the check.