Summary
On 15 August 2007, at approximately 18:07 UTC, a Robinson R22 Beta helicopter sustained damage to its tail boom and tail rotor during an autorotation training flight at Wr. Neustadt Ost airfield (LOAN). The two occupants, both pilots, were not injured.
Flight Details
The helicopter, a piston-engine light helicopter, was operated by a legal entity in Austria under general aviation rules. The pilot in command occupied the left seat and was practicing for his helicopter flight instructor examination. The right seat was occupied by another pilot with flight experience, as solo flights in the R22 Beta are permitted only from the right seat. The flight was registered with the airport operations at 17:49 as a local training flight.
Incident Sequence
According to witness statements and accounts from the two occupants, the pilot had been performing circuits, hover flights, and autorotations. At about 18:05, while at approximately 1500 ft AGL, the pilot initiated another autorotation by reducing the throttle to idle. During the final phase of the maneuver, between 30 and 50 ft AGL, the pilot executed a flare and simultaneously returned the throttle to full open. At that moment, the helicopter began an uncontrolled rotation around its vertical axis (yaw), causing the tail rotor to strike the tail boom. The helicopter came to rest on its skid landing gear.
Damage and Injuries
The tail boom and tail rotor were damaged. Both the pilot and the passenger remained uninjured. There was no fire.
Investigation
The Austrian Safety Investigation Board (Sicherheitsuntersuchungsstelle des Bundes) was notified on the same day by the search and rescue center of Austro Control GmbH and initiated a safety investigation. The probable cause was not stated in the provided source.