Incident Overview
During a 120-day recurrent training session, an instructor pilot and a commercial pilot were performing their fifth full-down autorotation in a helicopter. Both pilots were on the controls throughout the maneuver. As the helicopter decelerated and flared, the instructor pilot advised the commercial pilot to push the cyclic forward. However, the commercial pilot did not move the cyclic far enough, causing the stinger to contact the ground first, followed by the tail rotor.
Damage
The tail rotor sustained substantial damage and required replacement. The stinger was also damaged in the sequence of ground contacts. No other components were reported as damaged beyond the tail rotor and stinger.
Prior Mechanical Condition
No mechanical problems were reported with the helicopter prior to the training event. The incident was attributed solely to the control input during the autorotation maneuver.
Training Context
The autorotation was part of a routine recurrent training program. The instructor and commercial pilot were both controlling the helicopter at the time of the incident. The instructor's guidance to push the cyclic forward was intended to manage the flare, but the execution was insufficient to prevent ground contact.