What happened
During an introductory flight, an instructor was conducting a hover demonstration for a prospective student. The flight involved the instructor allowing the student to take hold of the cyclic control while the instructor maintained control of the collective and pedals.
According to the student, the aircraft was hovering at approximately 4 to 5 feet when the aircraft tipped backward. The student reported that the helicopter ascended vertically for ten to fifteen feet before banking sharply to the left, nearly reaching an inverted position.
The instructor stated that after a previous successful transfer of control, the aircraft began to drift sideways, forward, and backward, at which point she regained control to stabilize the hover. During the second attempt at transferring cyclic control, the helicopter began moving forward. The student reacted by initially applying gradual aft cyclic, followed by a rapid application of more aft cyclic. Before the student could complete the correction, the helicopter struck the ground. Following the impact, the aircraft lifted slightly and spun to the right before settling on its side.
Findings
An accident report from the operator indicated that there was no mechanical malfunction or failure involved in the accident.