What happened
A student pilot was conducting flight training in a recently purchased helicopter when the aircraft encountered weather conditions involving a sporadic north wind. The pilot was practicing hovering and hovering turns at the time of the accident. During a turn to the south, a gust of wind caused the aircraft to spin toward the east due to a loss of tail rotor effectiveness. As the aircraft spun, the right skid made contact with the surface, causing the helicopter to tip onto its right side.
The pilot reported having a total flight time of 41 hours across all aircraft, with only four hours accumulated in this specific make and model. There were no injuries reported following the incident.
The investigation
The pilot reported that there were no mechanical failures or malfunctions present in the helicopter at the time of the accident.