20120816017519A

At approximately 1:50AM, after a pre-flight inspection of the aircraft and a check of the weather, the aircraft departed the Columbus police heliport, located at 2130 w. broad st, COLUMBUS43223. Pilot maintained a southeastern departure, ultimately turning to the south while over w. broad st. after completing his transmission with cmh tower and approaching sullivant ave, the pilot leveled the aircraft at 1500' MSL, and then executed a right turn towards the west. Shortly into the westbound trek, the pilot heard a loud exploding noise coming from the rear of the aircraft. The explosion was followed by a long sustained whining noise coming from the engine, with a constant sound of a warning tone in the background. Instantly, the pilot observed the N1 and N2 needles falling rapidly. The pilot immediately identified the situation as an engine failure and entered an autorotation. The pilot was able to maintain positive control of the aircraft, despite the loss of the aircraft's engine, and immediately identified sullivant ave as emergency landing site. As the pilot approached the bottom of the autorotation, he executed a hard flair in an atfempt to bleed off as much forward airspeed as possible. As the helicopter leveled and touched down onto sullivant ave, the pilot was able to briefly maintain directional andheading control of the aircraft, sliding the helicopter down the middle of the roadway. At one point, the aircraft began to rotate counterclockwise, approximately 1 1/2 times, as it slid northwest along sullivant ave. eventually, the aircraft came to a stop, as the main rotor blades made contact with a wooden utility pole located along the north side of sullivant ave. as the pilot was attempting to exit the aircraft, his right foot became stuck between the cyclic and the front seat. As the pilot yanked his foot free, he got hung up on the aircraft's collective, causing it to detach. Immediately following, the pi lot and observer immediately identi fi ed a fire coming from the rear engine compartment. The pilot grabbed the aircraft's fire extinguisher, ran to the rear of the aircraft and extinguished the fire. Upon inspection of the aircraft following the landing, the pilot observed that the helicopter's tail fin/stabilizer and rear rotors had been ripped from the aircraft and all main rotor blades had sustained substantial damage. Pilot and observer were transported to grant hospital where no major injuries were reported by the aircrew.