Accident Details
During a recurrent training flight, the pilot receiving training, who held a commercial certificate and had accumulated 1,413 total flight hours, initiated a full-touchdown practice autorotation in the single-engine helicopter. At the controls, the pilot performed the maneuver. During the landing flare, just before touchdown, the helicopter's pitch attitude became excessively nose-high. Subsequently, the tailboom stinger contacted the ground, causing structural damage to the tailboom.
Flight Crew
The commercial pilot was receiving training from a certified flight instructor (CFI) with 13,200 total flight hours. The CFI reported that he was unable to correct the aircraft attitude before the stinger struck the ground.
Aircraft Examination
The helicopter was operating normally throughout the flight. A post-accident examination of the flight controls revealed no anomalies that could have contributed to the accident.