Primary finding
Probable cause
The flight instructor’s inadequate remedial actions following the student pilot’s improper control inputs, which resulted in dynamic rollover.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The flight instructor reported that the student pilot was practicing “pickups and set downs” in the helicopter for the day’s lesson. He said in his statement that the student had a tendency to pull up quickly on the collective and allow the helicopter to drift to the left then yaw to the right after liftoff. He cautioned the student on the hazards of dynamic rollover during the lesson. The student’s performance improved, and she asked to perform one more pickup. During the last attempt, a dynamic rollover occurred and the helicopter pivoted around the left skid as it was still on the ground. The helicopter came to rest on its left side. The impact with the ground resulted in substantial damage to the main rotor blades, tail boom and fuselage. The flight instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.