What happened
During a takeoff maneuver, a helicopter began spinning to the left approximately two to 2.5 times as it lifted off the ground. The aircraft contacted the ground while maintaining a level attitude, after which it continued to rotate an additional 180 to 270 degrees before coming to a rest.
The incident resulted in damage to one of the skids and the tailboom. During the flight phase, the instructor pilot had permitted the student pilot to maintain as much control as was deemed comfortable. The instructor instructed the student to raise the collective slowly while correcting for any movement.
The investigation
The instructor reported that as the aircraft began lifting off, it started to spin to the left. The instructor indicated that they over-reacted to the controls and subsequently over-corrected during the rotation. At the moment the aircraft made contact with the ground, the student pilot had full control of all flight controls.