GAA20CA052

The pilot's fixation on the instrument panel, which resulted in a hard landing.

The pilot reported that he had departed in the helicopter from a local field at night under visual flight rules conditions. He reported that the weather was good, that he climbed the helicopter to 1,400 ft mean sea level for the 4-mile flight, and that he began the descent about 1 mile from the destination. He reported that he had "noticed and was consumed w/Engine & Rotor RPM, in the Yellow." During the approach, the helicopter stopped moving forward and began moving backward. The helicopter landed hard in a level attitude on the grass. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main and tail rotor drive systems and the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

The helicopter pilot reported that he had departed from a local football field at night under VFR conditions. The pilot reported that the weather was good. He reported that the helicopter climbed to 1,400ft MSL for the 4-mile flight and he began the descent about 1 mile from the destination. He reported that he had, "noticed and was consumed w/ Engine & Rotor RPM, in the Yellow." During approach, the helicopter stopped moving forward, and began moving backward. The helicopter landed hard in a level attitude, on the grass at the pilot's destination. The helicopter sustained substantial damage to the main and tail rotor drive systems, and the fuselage. According to the nearest METAR located 7 miles northwest of the accident site, it was reported that about the time of the accident, it was overcast at 1,400ft AGL and the visibility was 10SM. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.