What happened
The pilot was operating a helicopter on a flight when the engine experienced a sudden loss of power. At the time of the incident, the aircraft was flying at an altitude between 600 and 800 feet above ground level. Unable to maintain engine thrust, the pilot initiated an autorotation maneuver to control the descent.
The pilot guided the helicopter toward a median strip located between lanes of a highway. During the landing phase of this emergency procedure, the tailboom was severed from the main fuselage. The aircraft came to rest on the median following the separation.
The investigation
Following the accident, investigators conducted a thorough post-accident inspection of the helicopter's engine. To further assess the condition of the powerplant, a subsequent test cell run was performed on the engine.
The examination and testing did not reveal any evidence of mechanical failure or malfunction within the engine components. The results indicated that the engine itself was functioning mechanically correctly at the time of the inspection, despite the in-flight power loss experienced by the pilot.