Incident Details
A commercial pilot receiving instruction was conducting practice autorotations. During the seventh such maneuver of the day, the helicopter contacted the landing surface on the aft portion of its landing skids. The helicopter subsequently began to roll forward. In response, the pilot applied aft cyclic control input in an attempt to arrest the forward motion. Shortly thereafter, one of the main rotor blades struck the tail boom.
The flight instructor reported that he was unable to react in time to level the helicopter prior to touchdown.
Examination Findings
Post-accident examination of the helicopter revealed structural damage to the tail boom and the tail rotor drive shaft. No mechanical anomalies were reported with the flight control system.
Pilot's Remarks
In the Pilot/Operator Aircraft Accident Report form, the pilot stated under the section "how could this accident/incident have been prevented" that proper execution of a full down autorotation by fully leveling the aircraft before touchdown would have prevented the occurrence.