What happened
During a Part 91 instructional flight, a helicopter was engaged in a training maneuver designed to teach a rotorcraft-rated private pilot student how to perform an immediate landing under simulated emergency conditions. As the aircraft descended, the low rotor annunciator light illuminated and the associated warning horn sounded.
The instructor attempted to execute a recovery maneuver; however, both the instructor and the student were simultaneously attempting to take corrective action. The instructor reported that the student maintained too much throttle input for the instructor to overcome. Consequently, the aircraft made a hard touchdown on open desert terrain. During the impact, a main rotor blade struck the tail boom.
Findings
- No mechanical malfunctions occurred during the flight.
- The aircraft experienced a hard touchdown during the simulated emergency procedure.