What happened
The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.
While conducting emergency procedures training (practice autorotation’s) with a third-party contractor the pilot flying (pf) entered an autorotation to a hard surfaced runway while under night vision goggles. The aircraft touched down with little forward speed and slightly harder than planned and the pf inadvertently applied aft cyclic. The combination of aft cyclic and the rough landing caused the rotor system to flex down and contact the tail section of the aircraft resulting in tail boom separation and substantial damage to the aircraft. The cfi/pilot not flying providing the contracted training failed to take corrective action to prevent the accident.
As the FAA filed it
WHILE CONDUCTING EMERGENCY PROCEDURES TRAINING (PRACTICE AUTOROTATION’S) WITH A THIRD-PARTY CONTRACTOR THE PILOT FLYING (PF) ENTERED AN AUTOROTATION TO A HARD SURFACED RUNWAY WHILE UNDER NIGHT VISION GOGGLES. THE AIRCRAFT TOUCHED DOWN WITH LITTLE FORWARD SPEED AND SLIGHTLY HARDER THAN PLANNED AND THE PF INADVERTENTLY APPLIED AFT CYCLIC. THE COMBINATION OF AFT CYCLIC AND THE ROUGH LANDING CAUSED THE ROTOR SYSTEM TO FLEX DOWN AND CONTACT THE TAIL SECTION OF THE AIRCRAFT RESULTING IN TAIL BOOM SEPARATION AND SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFT. THE CFI/PILOT NOT FLYING PROVIDING THE CONTRACTED TRAINING FAILED TO TAKE CORRECTIVE ACTION TO PREVENT THE ACCIDENT.
NTSB investigation
The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.