Colorado Aviation Accidents & Incidents

On May 3, 2000, at 1200 mountain daylight time, a Hughes 269C helicopter, N1098B, sustained substantial damage during a hard landing near Loveland, Colorado. The student pilot was not injured. The flight was operating under Title 14 CFR Part 91 and no flight plan was filed. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed.

According to Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records, the pilot holds a private pilot certificate with a single engine land rating. On this flight he was a student pilot practicing maneuvers in preparing for a helicopter rating.

The pilot reported that he was practicing autorotations and during initial entry to a practice power recovery autorotation, the engine lost all power and a full autorotation was performed. According to the pilot, he performed a run-on landing in a soft field and the helicopter tipped forward causing the main rotor blades to contact and sever the tail boom. The helicopter then rolled on its right side and spun 180 degrees.

Examination of the engine provided no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction. The pilot misjudged the run on landing during a full autorotation. Factors were a total loss of power for unknown reasons and soft terrain.