LAX96LA346

According to the flight instructor (CFI), he and the student pilot were on an instructional flight, and the student was performing hovering autorotations to a clear, moist, sandy area of a river bed. The CFI reported that the student began an autorotation from a 3-foot hover when, about 1 foot above the ground, the helicopter began to drift to the left. The CFI took the controls and applied right cyclic as the rotor rpm continued to decay. His control input did not stop the helicopter's accelerating leftward movement. As the left skid touched down on sandy terrain, the helicopter experienced a dynamic rollover and rolled onto its left side. The wind at the accident site was estimated to be westerly at about 10 knots.

On September 30, 1996, about 1300 hours Pacific daylight time, a Bell 206B, N59576 rolled over while practicing hovering autorotations near Fillmore, California. The aircraft sustained substantial damage; however, neither the instructor nor his student was injured. The aircraft was operated as an instructional flight by the owner/student when the accident occurred. The flight originated from Whiteman airport, Los Angeles, California, on the morning of the accident. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time and no flight plan had been filed.

The flight instructor stated he directed his student to perform a hovering autorotation with an entry from a 3-foot hover. As the aircraft descended to about 1 foot above the ground, it began to drift to the left. He took the controls and applied right cyclic as the rotor rpm continued to decay. His control input did not stop the helicopter's accelerating leftward movement. As the left skid touched down, the helicopter abruptly pivoted about the skid and rolled onto its left side. During the rollover, the main rotor blade(s) severed the tailboom. He reported to an FAA inspector that he estimated surface winds at the accident site to have been westerly at approximately 10 knots.