Incident Details
A helicopter flight instructor with 5,591 hours of experience was conducting the second day of training for a newly hired commercial helicopter rated pilot. The pilot had accumulated 10,000 flight hours. The incident occurred after the pilot completed the first landing on Runway 03, which measured 4,999 feet in length and 150 feet in width, with an asphalt-concrete surface.
Flight Profile
Following the landing, the flight instructor directed the pilot to perform an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) takeoff as described in the company's operations manual, followed by entry into the local traffic pattern. According to the instructor, the EMS takeoff procedure required the pilot to bring the helicopter to a hover at an altitude of three to five feet to conduct a power check before applying takeoff power.
Instructor's Account
While the helicopter was stationary in a hover, the flight instructor initiated a hovering autorotation. The pilot immediately responded by applying forward cyclic and then pulling up on the collective. The flight instructor assessed the pilot's control inputs as excessive, resulting in a high rate of descent and an undesirable helicopter attitude for touchdown. The instructor then took control of the aircraft, bringing it back to a level attitude in an attempt to cushion the landing.
The flight instructor reported that the main rotor RPM was low and that most of the collective had been used to prevent a nose-low impact. The helicopter subsequently descended approximately one to two feet, making contact with the terrain in a level attitude before bouncing forward about four feet.