20100511005309A

At approximately 1355 EDT the aircraft crew was conducting a training flight that originated at Virginia highlands airport (vji) in Abingdon, VA. The purpose of the flight was for aircraft orientation training. The aircraft flew one traffic pattern at the airport and proceeded toward a small confined area used for training. During the flight to the area a very low growl noise was heard by the crew. The flight instructor then took over the control of the aircraft. As the aircraft made a right turn toward the confined area at approximately 200 feet AGL and 80 knots, the engine surged and began to make a very loud growl noise, the engine failed, and the pilot initiated the emergency engine out procedure. The pilot performed an autorotation, the aircraft made a hard landing, bounced once, and came to rest on a slight slope in a field. The hard landing resulted in the aircraft skids being splayed and the left tail horizontal stabilizer vertical fin being contacted by the main rotor blade removing approximately 3 inches from the tip of the fin. The flir system imaging unit at the bottom left hand mid-section of the aircraft had pushed up through the floor of the cabin area and the data link microwave antenna had torn from the bottom section of the aircraft just forward of the aft skid tube.