Incident Overview
A helicopter made an emergency landing after experiencing a loss of tail rotor effectiveness (LTE) shortly after takeoff, resulting in substantial damage to the aircraft. The pilot reported a normal takeoff to the southwest. Upon reaching an altitude of approximately 75 feet, he initiated a turn to the south but noticed the aircraft was not responding to the control input. The helicopter then began to accelerate forward and started a right-hand spin. The tail rotor lost all effectiveness, and the helicopter completed three and a half revolutions before the pilot managed to maneuver it to an open pasture for an emergency landing. He lowered the collective, bringing the aircraft to the ground in a level touchdown with no forward motion.
Environmental Conditions
According to the pilot, a local airport reported wind from the southeast at 4 knots at the time of the incident. Prior to departure, the pilot described the wind as "non existent."
Post-Event Inspection
An inspection of the helicopter and its flight control systems revealed no anomalies that were determined to exist prior to the impact. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) defines LTE as a condition not related to an equipment or maintenance malfunction. It may occur in all single-rotor helicopters at airspeeds less than 30 knots. LTE results from the tail rotor not providing adequate thrust to maintain directional control, typically caused by certain wind azimuths (directions) while hovering or by an insufficient tail rotor thrust for a given power setting at higher altitudes.