AN ENSTROM HELI STRUCK THE TAIL ROTOR DURING A DEMONSTRATION OF THE AUTOROTATION MANEUVER.

Narrative

I APPEARED AT A SCHOOL IN THE TV STATION'S HELI. I WAS SCHEDULED TO TALK ABOUT FLYING HELIS AND BEING ON TV. AFTER SPEAKING FOR ABOUT 1 HR; IT WAS TIME TO LEAVE. AFTER SPENDING 30 MINS TELLING THE KIDS HOW HELIS LAND WITHOUT PWR; I DECIDED TO SHOW THEM AN AUTOROTATION IN A LARGE OPEN PARK NEXT TO THE SCHOOL. I CHOSE TO DO A FULL TOUCHDOWN AUTO. RIGHT BEFORE CONTACT WITH THE GND THE TAIL ROTOR STRUCK THE SOD. I DID NOT HIT HARD; I JUST WASN'T LEVEL ENOUGH. THE TAIL ROTOR BLADES WERE DAMAGED; BUT NO PARTS DEPARTED THE ACFT AND NO ONE WAS IN ANY DANGER. IT WAS NOT A RPTABLE INCIDENT. I AM WORRIED ABOUT BEING VIOLATED. 91.119(A) -- I NEED TO BE ABLE TO PERFORM AUTOROTATIONS TO COMPLY AND HAVE CONFIDENCE TO DO THEM IN OPEN AREAS. 91.13 -- THIS IS WHAT I MIGHT BE CHARGED WITH. IT WAS NOT A GOOD IDEA TO DEMONSTRATE THIS MANEUVER; IT HAS THE APPEARANCE OF SHOWING OFF. CONTRIBUTING FACTORS: LIGHT AND VARIABLE WINDS CAUSED MY VERT DSCNT; DURING FLARE; TO BE FASTER AND I MISJUDGED MY LEVELING OF THE HELI. WEAK TAIL SKID; IF THIS WAS A NEWER 280 IT WOULD HAVE A COMPLETE TAIL GUARD AND I WOULD NOT BE WRITING THIS RPT. BAD RELATIONS WITH LCL POLICE CAUSED THEM TO RPT ME. THEY HAVE HAD 2 BAD HELI CRASHES (NEAR FATAL); AND I COVERED THEM ON TV. THEIR CHANCE TO GET EVEN. I PRACTICE FULL TOUCHDOWN AUTOS AND HAVE DONE ABOUT 1000; THIS IS A COMMON OCCURRENCE. THIS IS MY FIRST DAMAGE OF AN ACFT IN 16 YRS OF FLYING AND 4000 HRS.