Incident Overview
A commercial pilot, under the instruction of a certified flight instructor (CFI), was practicing a forced landing maneuver. After the maneuver was initiated, the CFI observed that the helicopter was not descending quickly enough and therefore limited the amount of collective the commercial pilot could apply. As the helicopter slowed, the main rotor revolutions per minute (rpm) decreased.
Landing Sequence
The rear of the skids made contact with the runway first. Following this touchdown, the main rotor rpm continued to decay. Subsequently, the front of the skids dropped approximately eight to ten inches onto the runway surface. During this landing, two main rotor blades struck both auxiliary fins located on the tail boom.
Damage Assessment
Examination of the main rotor blades that were damaged revealed substantial delamination and inner core damage on both blades. No other damage or injuries were reported in the source.
Operational Context
The flight was a training exercise with a CFI providing instruction. The forced landing practice was conducted on a runway, but no other details about the location, date, or aircraft registration were provided in the source.