Incident Overview
A pilot rented a helicopter from a flight school and flew to a nearby town to pick up two passengers. The group then flew to another town to attend a party. The flight was normal until arrival at the destination.
Approach and Landing
The pilot began circling the landing area and asked a passenger to call a friend on the ground to verify the area was clear. After being told it was "clear for landing," the pilot initiated a smooth descent with all instruments in the green arc. The landing area was a dirt road on a mountain ridge. The landing was smooth, and the pilot touched down lightly on the skids.
Post-Landing Maneuvers
While the helicopter had not fully settled and was still light on the skids, the pilot began checking the balance of the helicopter before setting the collective to the full down position. When he moved the cyclic forward, the helicopter pitched forward. He then moved the cyclic aft to its previous position, and the helicopter pitched aft. At that moment, he heard a "big noise" and felt a vibration.
Loss of Control
The pilot immediately pulled collective and rolled the throttle to the full throttle position in an attempt to get the helicopter airborne again. However, the helicopter started to spin clockwise, and the pilot could not stop the rotation even with full left pedal application. He leveled the helicopter while it was still spinning and tried to return to the landing site, but there was not enough power to maintain flight.
Accident Sequence
The left skid contacted the ground, and the helicopter rolled over onto its left side.
Examination
Postaccident examination by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed that the tail rotor assembly and tail boom were substantially damaged.