What happened
The pilot was conducting a hover maneuver from the left front seat of the helicopter. To maintain position, he utilized an unusual control configuration: he manipulated the collective pitch lever located in the right front seat while simultaneously operating the cyclic control stick from the left front seat. During this phase of flight, the tail section of the aircraft made contact with the ground surface.
In response to the collision, the pilot attempted to correct the situation but applied improper flight control inputs. These actions resulted in a hard landing on the ground. The impact force caused the helicopter's skids to collapse, which subsequently led to structural damage affecting the fuselage of the aircraft.
The investigation
The primary focus of the examination was the pilot's account of the control configuration and the sequence of events leading to the accident. The investigation confirmed that the tail had indeed collided with the ground during the hover phase.