Incident Overview
A helicopter involved in a training flight experienced a hard landing and rolled over during a power recovery from a practice autorotation. The certified flight instructor (CFI) reported that the incident occurred due to a failure to execute the power recovery correctly.
Sequence of Events
The CFI and a student had performed several autorotations prior to the eventful one. The entry and glide phases were well managed, with the student maintaining proper rotor rpm control and pitch. During the level-off from the flare, the student began raising the collective as power was being restored. The CFI instructed the student to roll on the throttle and simultaneously reached for the throttle to assist. However, the student firmly gripped the throttle and rolled it off instead. The instructor was unable to override the student's input before a main rotor rpm decay occurred, leading to the hard landing.
Post-Impact Conditions
Due to gusty wind conditions, the helicopter was blown off course after the hard landing and came to rest on its left side in a mature cactus (cholla) bed. Subsequent examination confirmed flight and throttle control continuity, and no preimpact anomalies were found.