What happened
During a flight instruction session, the instructor began a demonstration of a low altitude auto-rotation. The maneuver was performed while moving forward in a hover at a speed described as a "brisk walk." The intended touchdown location was a grassy area situated slightly east of the runway environment.
Upon touchdown, the helicopter's skids encountered soft terrain, causing them to dig into the ground. This caused the aircraft to rock forward onto the toes of the skids. Immediately following this movement, the main rotor blades made contact with the ground, and the aircraft came to rest on the forward skid toes and the main rotor mast.
The investigation
The instructor reported that there was no mechanical malfunction with the helicopter at the time of the event. The investigation noted that the terrain at the selected site for the auto-rotation was soft.