Incident Overview
A student pilot was attempting to off-load a helicopter from a trailer parked at his residence. According to the pilot, as he lifted the helicopter to a hover, he sensed something was not right and began to gently lower the collective with the intention of landing back onto the trailer. At that moment, the helicopter started to roll over. The pilot reported that a quick glance in the mirror revealed the right strut had jumped the one-inch lip of the trailer and was going down over the side. The helicopter subsequently impacted the ground and came to rest on its left side.
Pilot Information
The student pilot had accumulated 39 hours of total helicopter flight experience, all of which were in the same make and model as the accident aircraft. He also stated that he had landed on and departed from the trailer approximately one dozen times prior to the incident.
Examination
A post-accident examination of the helicopter did not disclose any mechanical malfunctions, nor did the pilot report any such issues.