Background
The student pilot was conducting his second solo flight in a helicopter. He had previously completed several touch-and-go landings during the same flight. The pilot reported a total flight experience of 19.7 hours in helicopters at the time of the event.
Accident Narrative
While practicing hovering maneuvers over a taxiway, the pilot positioned the helicopter facing into the wind. He initiated a left hovering turn. As the helicopter turned to face downwind, it became unstable, prompting the pilot to turn the helicopter back into the wind.
During a subsequent attempt at a left hovering turn, as the helicopter's nose reached an angle approximately 90 to 110 degrees from the wind direction, the pilot lost control. The right skid contacted the ground, and the helicopter came to rest on its left side.
Pilot Experience
The pilot was a student and had accumulated 19.7 total hours in helicopters. This flight was his second solo experience.