What happened
On July 13, 2024, at approximately 10:35 mountain daylight time, a Robinson R44 II, registration N6960, was involved in an accident near Herriman, Utah. The aircraft was being operated by Takeflight LLC as part of a Part 141 instructional flight.
During the flight, an instructor and a student pilot were en route to a practice area southwest of a nearby airport to perform simulated engine-out autorotation maneuvers. While the student pilot was at the controls, the instructor performed the necessary inputs for a simulated autorotation, including lowering the collective, applying aft cyclic and right pedal, and rolling the throttle to idle.
While monitoring the instruments, the instructor observed that the engine oil warning light, auxiliary fuel pump caution light, and alternator caution light had illuminated. Upon attempting to increase engine power by moving the throttle, the instructor discovered the engine had lost power.
The instructor took control of the aircraft and attempted a landing in an open area. The helicopter touched down hard with minimal forward airspeed in a level skids attitude. Following the impact, the main rotor blades struck the tail boom, causing the tail rotor assembly to separate.
There were no injuries to the instructor or the student pilot, but the aircraft was substantially damaged.