What happened
The accident occurred while the pilot was executing a quick stop maneuver in a helicopter. During this phase of flight, the tail rotor assembly made contact with the ground surface. This initial impact caused the helicopter to begin moving laterally toward the right.
In response to the unexpected movement, the pilot attempted to correct the aircraft's attitude by applying left control input. The pilot reported that this correction was likely excessive, or possibly overcorrected. As a result of this control input, the helicopter rolled over onto its left side, coming to rest on that flank.
The investigation
Following the accident, the pilot inspected the aircraft for visible damage. The inspection revealed significant structural failures across multiple rotor systems and the landing gear. Both blades of the tail rotor were found to be bent. The main rotor blades also sustained damage. Additionally, the left skid of the landing gear was separated from the airframe.
Despite the clear evidence of ground contact during the accident sequence, the pilot did not find any physical evidence of a tail rotor strike on the ground at the final resting site. This discrepancy between the reported event and the physical evidence at the scene remains unexplained in the available records.
Findings
The sequence of events indicates that the initial cause was the tail rotor contacting the ground during the maneuver. The subsequent loss of control and rollover were attributed to the pilot's reaction to this contact, specifically an overcorrection to the left.