What happened
The flight involved a series of practice maneuvers designed to simulate power failure scenarios. The pilot had previously executed five or six successful simulated power-off autorotations without incident. During the subsequent maneuver, the pilot initiated another autorotation sequence. However, during this specific attempt, the helicopter's vertical descent rate increased beyond safe operational limits.
Although the pilot recognized the developing situation and attempted to apply corrective inputs to arrest the descent, the actions were not executed in sufficient time. The aircraft impacted an asphalt surface with significant force. This impact resulted in substantial damage to the helicopter's airframe structure.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the mechanics of the final autorotation attempt. Examination of the flight data and physical evidence confirmed that the primary issue was the excessive vertical speed at the moment of touchdown. No mechanical failures were identified as contributing factors to the loss of control or the subsequent impact.