Event WPR20CA140

Factual narrative

The flight instructor reported that during the instructional flight, while conducting autorotation training in a maximum glide configuration, he set the rotor rpm between 93-94%. Aft cyclic was applied to slow down the rate of descent and to regain rpms. The rate of descent did not slow so the throttle was increased, and the helicopter was leveled as it approached the ground. The helicopter subsequently landed hard and bounced once before it came to rest. The tail boom was substantially damaged. A caution in the helicopter's Pilot's Operating Manual states in part to "increase rotor RPM to 97% minimum when autorotating below 500 ft above ground level." The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter or engine that would have precluded normal operation. The flight instructor reported that, during the instructional flight and while conducting a maximum-glide configuration autorotation, he and the student pilot set the rotor rpm between about 93% and 94%. The instructor began applying aft cyclic to slow the descent rate and to regain rpm; however, the descent rate did not decrease, so he applied more left cyclic to no avail and then increased the throttle. The helicopter landed hard at the most level attitude the instructor could make it, and it then bounced and came to rest. The tailboom was substantially damaged. The Pilot's Operating Manual contained a caution that stated to "increase rotor RPM to 97% minimum when autorotating below 500 ft above ground level." The chief flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

Hierarchical cause / factor breakdown from the FAA bulk avdata database. Each finding tagged C (Cause) or F (Factor).

• C Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Descent rate-Not attained/maintained - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Use of equip/system-Instructor/check pilot - C
• C Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Instructor/check pilot - C