On November 14, 2001, a Kaman K-1200 (registration N361KA) was involved in an aviation accident near Bloomfield, CT. Investigators recorded the probable cause as: The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control while hovering. A factor related to the accident was the pilots lack of experience in type of aircraft. This summary draws on records from the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) historical archive.
A helicopter conducting hovering autorotation maneuvers touched down on right main and nose gear, then rolled onto its right side after main rotor blades struck the ground.
Accident Sequence
The helicopter was being operated in hovering autorotation maneuvers. During the descent, the pilot applied aft cyclic, causing the helicopter to drift rearward. The pilot then increased collective to stop the descent and focused on countering the aft drift. Subsequently, the helicopter touched down on its right main landing gear and nose landing gear. The pilot attempted to level the helicopter by applying left cyclic, but due to low rotor rpm, the control input had minimal effect. The helicopter began to roll to the right, and the main rotor blades struck the ground. The helicopter came to rest on its right side.
Pilot Background
According to the pilot's flight instructor, the accident flight was the pilot's fifth flight of the day. The first four flights were dual instructional flights conducted in a Kaman H-43. The last flight was to be solo in a K-1200. The pilot had previously flown the K-1200 four times.