Incident Overview
A flight instructor reported that he and his student were conducting a landing practice in a helicopter. They were on the downwind leg at an altitude of 500 feet, preparing to land, when the student pilot removed the mixture guard and pulled the control within the span of a second. This action caused the engine to cease operating.
Autorotation and Landing
The instructor immediately entered an autorotation. He noted that the wind was from the left (south) and that there were trees and a road to the left, leaving no room to turn in that direction. He therefore turned right. While turning, he saw trees ahead and continued turning right to reach an open grove. At that point, he initiated the "full down" phase of the autorotation.
During the descent, the student was depressing the right pedal. The instructor maintained rotor rpm as high as possible, pushed forward on the controls, and carried out the landing. After touchdown, the helicopter continued with its nose turning to the left due to the right pedal being depressed. It rolled slightly onto its right skid, which then collapsed, and the helicopter came to rest on its belly.