Incident Overview
A helicopter flight instructor with 11,500 hours of flight experience was providing instruction to a 9,500-hour airline transport rated pilot at a private training runway. The runway measured 2,000 feet in length and 75 feet in width and was constructed of asphalt.
Event Details
During the training session, the pilots conducted a practice autorotation maneuver. The flight instructor reported that upon touchdown, the helicopter experienced a hard landing. The instructor stated that the hard landing was the result of low rotor RPM during the touchdown phase.
Aircraft and Environmental Conditions
The instructor noted that there were no abnormalities with the helicopter's flight controls or engine at the time of the accident. Weather conditions were reported as light and variable winds. The density altitude at the location was estimated to be 750 feet above mean sea level.