Mcdonnell Douglas Helicopter 369E N8372F accident near Arcola, Texas

Probable cause

The instructor’s failure to re-apply engine power during a power recovery after a practice autorotation which resulted in a hard landing.

NTSB analysis

During an evaluation flight with a company pilot, the instructor pilot reported that he failed to re-apply engine power prior to the completion of a practice autorotation with a power recovery. During the maneuver, the instructor’s attention was diverted from reapplying engine power by an airplane holding short of the runway near their planned touchdown point. The helicopter subsequently landed hard on the runway, which resulted in substantial damage to the tail boom. The instructor reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions of failures with the helicopter that would have precluded normal operation.

Text from the NTSB. Open the NTSB docket for CEN23LA404 for the full record.